


Drowning on Air

by Belle_Lestrange101



Category: Free!
Genre: Adventure, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Australia, Complete, Depression, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Exchange Program, Exploration, Growing Up, Implied Slash, Isolation, Loneliness, M/M, Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Misguided, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Original Character(s), Rin is depressed, Seaside, Siren, Swimming, Teenage Drama, beach, dark merman, merman, playful, rin is a loner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-04-13 18:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14117970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belle_Lestrange101/pseuds/Belle_Lestrange101
Summary: Living in Australia is harder on Rin than he ever imagined. Over the years he became isolated, an out-cast from both his life in Japan and in his new school in Australia. He hates being labelled as the 'foreigner' or told that he smelled funny. He tries so hard to fit in with the other kids and their activities, however after a year he begs Russell and Lori to let him stop.He just wants to focus on swimming.As a result, a few years later, in the midst of summer he stumbles upon a desolate beach down a road he'd never taken before. Upon exploring the beach he discovers caves cut into the cliffs. It's quiet and isolated and calming. Everything he'd needed to find in Australia since arriving.There he finds a merman ... a merman who looks suspiciously like someone he once knew. Someone who loved to swim too.





	1. Five Years Ago

**~0~**

**_Five Years Ago_ **

**~0~**

 

 

‘ _I’m all alone.’_

As depressing as the thought was, it was one that plagued Rin every time his mind quietened down. It was still all too new for him. He’d thought he’d adjusted to this new life but something was still very ‘off’. He barely spoke the language and people still saw him as the ‘ _foreigner’_. The jokes he used to tell back home weren’t very well-accepted here, in Australia. Maybe they just didn’t get the jokes? That had occurred to him, however, explaining the jokes? That just made the whole ordeal that much worse.  
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Rin let out a quaking sigh. Dragging his sleeves down over his hands, he used the coarse fabric to scrub his face raw. His eyes had slowly been leaking the tears he’d held back all day. He very rarely got time away from his exchange-family to shed them. He felt bad for hiding how he felt. They already went out of their way to make him feel better and at home. However, he found himself spending longer and longer nights lying awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling.   
He’d even taken to having Winnie, the little black Labrador, snoozing in bed with him. He wasn’t meant to have Winnie on the bed with him, but no one had told him off for it so far.

Letting out a choked sigh, he looked out over the grey sea churning before him.

The air was sharp and clawed at his face and hair, snagging the hoodie tight around his throat. It was brutal weather even for late July. He hated that Australia’s seasons were backwards. Here he was freezing in his thermals, when the rest of the world were jet-skiing around the beaches. Not that it was much of an issue. It meant that the long strip of off-white sand a hundred odd feet beneath him were vast and empty.

Just what he needed; solitude.

Fingering the cold, smooth beads laced around his wrist, he bit his lip. His eyes were still wet and stung when another howling gust of wind ripped the hood off his head. It was starting to get late. The sky was already darkening to an ominous grey. The cold made his stomach heavy and uncomfortable. Yet, he remained where he was.

‘ _I should be getting back_ ,’ he gloomily thought to himself.

He’d probably get back ‘home’ just in time for Lori to call out that dinner was ready. A hungry pang punched him in the gut, but Rin merely ground his teeth together and fought to ignore it. He couldn’t leave Lori to worry about him. She already went above and beyond and, truthfully, he’d been feeling a little awkward around her whenever she offered to drop whatever she’d been up to, to ferry him around.

It wasn’t like he did a lot of stuff, not really.

He went to school and back, just like everyone else. He didn’t go to the arcades after school with the other kids and he hadn’t been invited to anyones house either. A part of Rin was relieved, considering he was still adapting to some of the Australian food. It wasn’t as different as he’d been expecting, but some of it didn’t sit right in his tummy.

Another gust of wind smacked like ice against his raw cheeks.

Rin was dimly aware of his nose running. Not that it mattered.  


Looking down he felt his stomach drop. An icy weight pooled inside him as he toyed his sneakers on the edge of the cliff edge. It was one of the few places along the beach that had a direct drop into the water –no beaches for another half-mile to obstruct his fall. With the wind picking up, it was really hard for him to keep his balance on the ledge. His mind was swimming. The wet, salty air was crystalizing on his cheeks and eyelashes. He could feel a layer of ice hardening all over his body.   
A tremor ran down his spine.  


 

 

 

It had been a trial for the last few months, getting used to life in Australia. Not only with his exchange-parents but also with the new language. He’d aced ‘English’ back home, but all of a sudden he felt at a loss. These kids barely seemed to understand him. They tended to use colloquial English –a dialect –as opposed to proper English.

It annoyed him.

“You just need to give it time,” Lori had said one night as he offered to help her with the washing-up. She’d laughed sweetly and tried to usher him into the lounge to watch TV.

“You’ll make friends by winter, that’s a fact! Middle school is awkward for everyone.”

She had been so positive, that he’d felt instantly reassured. His attitude towards school, learning and in general interacting with others improved threefold. His grades inches higher, his reports came back with amazing results and even his bi-lingual counsellor was impressed with his sudden switch. That was, until he realised that no matter how hard he tried he was always going to be different. He was always going to be the foreign student who spoke ‘sub-par’ English.

He was always the one that needed an extra hand from teacher.

He was always exiled from parties or clubs because he was from another country and ‘they don’t have our thing over there!’

He was always left to shower alone after swim-practice because someone spread a rumour around the he ‘smelled weird’.

A lot of it was petty rubbish, but they tore at Rin from the inside. Made him paranoid. For weeks he’d been itching to reach out to his friends back home, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that Australia was anything less than perfect.

His watch beeped. 5PM.

With a sigh, Rin cast one forlorn look down at the Cliffside sloping down beneath him. His stomach dropped. Turning his back on the churning sea, he tugged his hood higher over his head, bowed his head and made his way back along the road, his hands buried deeper in his pockets.

 

 

“ _Rin is that you?_ ” Lori called from the kitchen down the hall.

Rin closed the door behind him creating a barrier between the howling storm outside. “Yes Lori it’s me!” He took his time kicking off his shoes and hanging his hoodie up. He needed to start wearing his winter coat now. The soft fur inside the hood would stop his brain from freezing.

“Why don’t you go and dry up for dinner, son?” Russell said as he came down the stairs.

Rin glanced up at the tall man, before nodding. “Yes, sir, I’ll wash now.”

As he moved up the stairs, he couldn’t help but wince. No wonder people snickered at him at school, when he could still just about grasp ‘English’.

In his bedroom, Winnie came to sit on his bed and wag her tail up at him as he peeled off his soake clothes. It had started to rain when he’d gotten to the end of their street, and got drenched within seconds. Taking a handtowel, he dried himself down, shivering at the cool air in his room. He shook droplets from his hair and once he pulled on a warm, dry tracksuit he let out a very long sigh.

The smell of dinner floated up the stairs, stirring a hunger deep in his gut. Rin grimaced. His body felt hungry, but mentally he wasn’t prepared for all that jaw work. Glancing over at the bulky white PC on the neat desk by his bed, Rin bit his bottom lip. He really should message his friends back home. Maybe even send an email to his mum and sister? They’d worry if he didn’t talk to them regularly. Tugging the hood over his head, he dropped down on his bed and clawed on some socks.

‘ _So many people to worry about, and no one to worry about me_ ,’ he thought bitterly as he clicked his fingers for Winnie to follow him down to the dining room.

 

 

Dinner started off with Lori and Russell doing a lot of the talking. Almost all of it, really, since Rin took a while to warm-up. Rin toyed with his peas as Lori asked him in her chirpy voice how school had been that week. Rin muttered a few things. Considering that school was becoming more and more miserable with each passing week, he didn’t have very many positive things to talk about.

“Rin are you glad to have a break from swimming practice?” Russell asked, half-forcing a smile at the solemn teen sitting across from him. The poor kid had his head tucked down against his chest. He’d looked like that a lot lately. For some reason things weren’t going so well for the young boy. Russell didn’t know what to do for him. Rins personality had done a one-eighty in the last few months.

“I like swimming,” Rin mumbled.

Lori and Russell exchanged a glance. “Then –how would you like to go swimming together during the end of semester?”

Rins ears perked up but his heart wasn’t in it. One day of swimming with his exchange-parents wasn’t about to make up for the struggle he’d had to deal with at school. He wouldn’t mind if someone would just _talk_ to him. Back home, everyone had always been encouraged to welcome the new students and make sure that they didn’t feel left-out of anything. Picking as his vegetables, Rin felt the loneliness expand within him, extinguishing his appetite and remaining energy in a heartbeat. “May I be excused?” he cringed as the word left his mouth, but he couldn’t handle being near them in that moment. He just wanted to hide under the blankets of his bed and cry silent tears until the day ended.

Lori and Russell exchanged a look.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try a little bit more?” Lori asked sweetly.

Rin shook his head. “Thank you, Lori. I don’t feel too well. May I go to sleep?”

Another look.

“If that’s what you want, son,” Russell finally said. He was weary, his tone made that clear. Rin cringed again but excused himself all the same. As he made his way up the stairs, he heard their voices echoing up softly.

“ _Do you think he’s still homesick?_ ” Lori was whispering.

“ _I don’t know,”_ Russell replied. “ _I just wish I knew what we could do for him.”  
_

Rin ran the rest of the way to his room.

 

 

That night as he lay in bed with the covers pulled up to his chin, Rin listened as the rain lashed down against the window pains, branches creaked and whined together in the whistling wind, and trembled as the stars shimmered like shards of ice against the black sky. Winnie was a small, warm weight on his legs and he tried not to move. He didn’t want to disturb her. She was the only thing that really seemed to comfort him. It was terrifying to think that he might never make friends in Australia. He tried to think of how Iwatobi would have been without Makoto, Nagisa and Haru.  Especially Haru. The emptiness inside him grew.

Just as he was on the cusp of sleeping, a branch knocked against his window. Sitting bold upright, frozen and sweaty, Rin clutched his duvet tighter, wide eyes scanning around the room. It was dark, barely lip by the streetlamps outside. Pressing himself against the wall beside his bed, Rin peered outside his window. The street below was empty. Pools of bright light dotted up and down the street. If he pressed his face against the glass, to the right, he could see the black mass of the sea stretching off into the distance.

That’s when he saw it. The light.

It flashed once, twice, and eventually a third time. Almost as though someone were trying to send a message. Was it Morse code? Rin bit his lip in thought but quickly dismissed the idea. ‘ _It’s probably just the moonlight_ ,’ the logical part of his brain supplied. ‘ _Something is catching the moon’s reflection and making it look like an S.O.S_.’ That was probably all it was. Something shiny flapping in the breeze or caught on a piece of driftwood. Nothing important. Still, something unsettled him as he managed to wriggled back into the warm cocoon of his duvet, burrow down into the pillows and close his eyes against the darkness.

 

 

 

 

~0~

 

 

 

 

As the weather grew colder, Rin became more withdrawn within himself. He only really talked when he was spoken to. Russell had kept his promise and –most Saturdays –he would take Rin down to the local swimming pool. They’d swim, relax and play around for a couple of hours then grab a take-away lunch on their way back home. Rin found himself looking forward to those few hours on Saturday mornings. They wouldn’t happen every week, but when they did it made him forget the pressure of the schoolweek for a little while. It distracted him from being the kid eating alone at the back of the lunch-hall. His mind emptied, focused only on the movement of his body through the water, as Russell proudly coaxed him on, laughing merrily.

However, as soon as he returned home, finished his schoolwork for Monday morning, his mind would be cluttered yet again.

He was beginning to feel a weight on his chest and mind whenever he fired-up the PC to write to his parents and school-friends. It was difficult to act as though he was happy to be there. His e-mails over the last few weeks had been getting shorter, too. He tried to leave it at least a week just so that he’d have something a little more interesting to report home with, but it never happened.

In two weeks his training with his coach would begin. They had delayed his training so that he could climatise to the new country and settle in. Now, on paper, that was done and he needed to start a hardcore training regime. Maybe he’d have more to write about then.

With a sigh, Rin raked his hair out of his eyes and leaned back in his swivel chair. He had never had so much time to himself before. He didn’t know what to do with himself. He could only read and study so much. He’d tried helping with housework like his Mum asked him to do, but Lori kept a very clean house. There was hardly ever any mess.  
Winnie toddled into the room and nudge his knee with her nose. His hand dropped limply from his lap, his fingertips softly caressing her silky fur. “What should I do, Winnie?” he asked. “I feel so … lonely.”

“Woof!” Winnie perked up beside him.

Rin gave a weak smile. It faltered soon after.

At about 7PM he decided to go to bed. It was still fairly early, he could hear the hum of Lori and Russell watching TV downstairs, but he just didn’t have the energy to go down and fake interest. Tugging his jumper off over his head, Rin changed into his pyjamas and crawled under the cool duvet. Winnie hopped onto the end of his bed, snuggled up against his shins with her snout relaxed over his knees. Rin pulled the hood of his jumper over his head, burrowed under the covers and flicked his bedside lamp off.

The darkness was calm and cool around him.

In a strange way, it helped Rin succumb to sleep.

 

 

Winnie’s whining woke Rin up at about 3:12AM.

He was sure he was dreaming as he glared at the unfocused red digits of his alarm clock. Pulling the covers back, he saw that she was raised up on her hind legs, her front paws resting on the window sill. She was whimpering at something outside. Frowning heavily, Rin shuffled to the edge of his bed and pulled himself upright. The street below was empty.

“What is it, girl?” Rin whispered, glancing up and down the street with wide, unblinking eyes.

Still, nothing stirred.

Winnie continued to whimper.

Frowning, Rin drew closer to the window, almost pressing his cheek to the frosty glass. Beside him, the puppy let out a shrill little yelp. Yet, there was still nothing out on the streets. Other than the occasional whistle of the wind, nothing else made a move. Furrowing his brow, Rin bent down and gathered Winnie up in his arms. She still seemed tense but Rin didn’t know how else to calm her. Climbing back into bed, Rin pulled the throw blanket up from where it had fallen onto the floor and tucked it around Winnie. She quivered a little, large brown eyes still fixated on the window but she didn’t making anymore whimpering sounds.

“There you are, you just need to keep warm,” Rin murmured.

However, as soon as he laid his head back down Rin found that he wasn’t able to sleep. He tossed and turned a little, the cold creeping over his skin, but he wasn’t able to empty his mind. About an hour later something caught his eye. Something was flashing in the distance. Perking up, Rin pulled himself up slowly –being careful not to wake Winnie –and peered back out of the window. There is was again; the blinking light he had mistaken for Morse code. What was that?

Squinting, Rin tilted his head from side-to-side. He’d tried to decode the flashing lights last time. It had been nonsense. So it was just a random sequence –but that still didn’t answer Rin’s questions about its existence. Hunching his shoulders, Rin watched as the light continued to blink for the better part of an hour. Eventually, he felt his eyelids growing heavy. Tearing his eyes away from the flashing light, Rin slithered back under his duvet and tucked himself in. He wasn’t able to fall asleep straight away, however tomorrow was Sunday.

He had nowhere to be and nothing to do.

He might as well get used to it.


	2. Part 1

**_~0~_ **

**_Present Day_ **

**_~Part 1~_ **

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you were to ask Rin how he expected to see himself as a teenager, he would have enthusiastically stated that he'd be a fun, care-free guy who loved hanging out with his friends in between training for a scholarship at one of the top three Universities in the country. That was back in Japan, back when everything had been simple.

Not now.

Now all Rin did was study, train with his swimming coach, eat with Lori and Russel and spend the rest of his down-time listening to music while cuddled up with Winnie on his bed or traipsing along the quiet stretch of beach down by the cliffs. He had a few people at school he was on first name terms with, however he'd actively avoided being sucked into any large friendship groups. Australia had made it clear that he wasn't welcome there.

It wasn't as though he hadn't tried to fit in. He'd joined every after-school club Lori had suggested and had even spent evening playing football in the back garden with Russel. Somehow, though, it didn't win him many favours at school. In the end, after a year Rin had pleaded with his exchange-parents to let him drop all of his after-school activities and just focus on his swimming lessons. They had exchanged worried looks but eventually relented.

That wasn't the only thing that he'd put a stop to.

He had been e-mailing his friends, embellishing his life all too much to Makoto, Haru and Nagisa. However, he'd read back through his replies late into the night and wished with everything inside him that the words he typed were trust. As the reality of it settled inside his mind, it festered, growing dark and darker, gradually consuming him over the course of the last two years.

As it was, he'd all but stopped talking to them.

He got the odd e-mail here and there from Makoto, who kept him briefly updated on what was happening, but the words no longer held any weight for Rin. They were just words on a computer screen. He doubted that Makoto was even the same as when they'd hung out together in his junior school. It made him feel old and cut-out completely. Almost like an alien.

Other than that lone e-mail from Makoto, Rin had no one.

Things got easier when the weather turned warmer. Lori didn't mind him walking around outside along the beach or the shopping strips since the days were longer and warm weather didn't have the same nail-biting hostility as frigid winds and snowstorms did. That meant that Rin could do as he pleased as soon as school let out for the day. Usually he spent his evenings at swim-practise, however his coach had insisted that he only needed to do three nights a week now. Rin tried to push for more but it fell on deaf ears.

On this particular day, Rin hooked his earphones around his neck and into his ears, swung his leg up over his bicycle and easily rolled down the school's drive towards the main road. The sun was hot on the back of his neck, his shirt almost sticking to him with slim patches of sweat. Cycling downhill made enough of a breeze for Rin to feel the weight of the school day lift from his shoulders. His bike sped along under him and brought him closer and closer towards the stretch of brilliant blue ocean.

His red hair whipped into his eyes as he cruised down the long, winding roads, choking a little on the dust that billowed up from the cars rushing by. Summer in Australia was harsh; unlike Japan, it was hot and dry and felt as though every grain of sand was burying deeper inside him. Even sweating was exhausting. The only reprieve seemed to be through swimming or in the hot, black nights that barely lasted thirty winks.

Rin was so lost in thought that he managed to go down a road he hadn't been down before. It was barely 3:30PM so he just shrugged and carried on peddling lazily through the dappled shade. His exchanged parents rarely expected him home before 6PM. With a grunt, Rin dismounted and awkwardly manoeuvred his bike around the metal barrier. Stopping was the worst thing he could have done in that heat. Sweat beaded down his face and the back of his neck.

He had to take his time with the bike trial beyond. It was cut out in the side of the cliff and was a lot steeper than he'd anticipated. He paused halfway to catch his breath. ' _Maybe this isn't a good idea,_ ' he thought. ' _I'm going to have to make my way back up here later_.'

' _And do what?_ ' his brain snapped. ' _Sit at home and do your homework?_ '

Rin grimaced, clutching the bike handles. The ocean stretched out, bright and blue and cool before him. With a push, he managed to guide his bike down into a grassy knoll that overlooked the beach. His stomach churned a little as he anticipated leaving his bike unattended.

' _I won't be leaving it for long_ ,' he reassured himself as he shouldered his schoolbag, adjusted his cap low over his eyes and pushed his bike into a crevice in the rock. It was shaded by a sparse little tree.

The remainder of the trail was steep making Rin skid awkwardly a couple of times before his converses landed in the soft, white sand.

The sound of the waves was magnified.

Rin filled his lungs with a deep lung full of the fresh, salty air and felt something rippling through him. His skin tingled with electric energy. All he wanted to do was run over into the water, strip down and submerge himself. He wanted nothing but the water rushing in his ears, keeping him inside a small blue bubble completely separate from the harsh heat of the world.

' _I could swim_.' The thought burst into the blank void of his mind. ' _I could swim and feel refreshed. It would make me feel better_.'

His fingers itched to take his clothes off. He had suncream in his bag and a bottle of water –he'd only take a dip. Just to calm himself down. The heat was making him irritable, making the world melt into a pale horror around him. Pressing his mouth into a determined line, he undressed next to a large rock and folded everything neatly into the shade. The sun burned down on his skin.

His stomach flipped.

He hadn't felt this excited in a while.

With quick footsteps, Rin hurried over to where the washed crashed onto the sizzling sand. As soon as his feet sank down into the damp sand and a wave broke over his toes, Rin felt pleasure pour through him. A smile broke easily onto his mouth –he even felt himself twitch a little. It shouldn't have felt that amazing but it was pure bliss. In that moment everything seemed to fit into place.

Wadding deeper, the water lapped up over his knees.

It was cool and refreshing, cool tremors running through his muscles. Steeling himself, Rin dipped down so that he was crouching in the water up to his shoulders. The sun bleached the stretch of beach and the cliffs, blending it into the white-hot sky. The only colour Rin could see around him was the teal-blue of the beautiful ocean.

Tipping his head back into the water, Rin let himself float in the shallows.

He could feel the sun baking his skin but as he closed his eyes he found he didn't care too much. He wouldn't stay out too long, though.

He'd been drifting. He'd let his mind wander and he'd managed to float a little further away from the shore than he'd planned. Letting his legs sink, Rin started to tread-water and surveyed his surroundings. He hadn't floated out too far so that was good. Slowly, he started to breast-stroke back through the waves.

Something cool snagged his ankle.

Rin barely had time to yelp before his mouth was flooded with sea-water. The bitterness of the salt made his eyes, nose and throat burn. He kicked and clawed desperately up for the surface, panic setting in. He kicked his legs harder and harder, trying to simultaneously freeing himself and attacked whatever had caught him. After a lot of tugging and kicking something gave.

In a flurry of bubbles Rin's head broke the surface.

He didn't stop to take relief in breathing again. Instead, he swam as fast as his arms could carry him towards the shore, his lungs screaming in his ears that he needed to rest and catch his breath.

After a lot of tugging and kicking something gave.

In a flurry of bubbles Rin's head broke the surface.

He didn't stop to take relief in breathing again. Instead, he swam as fast as his arms could carry him towards the shore, his lungs screaming in his ears that he needed to rest and catch his breath. He didn't stop. He couldn't stop. If there was in fact something chasing him, he couldn't stop. His life depended on it.

It was only when his knees burrowed into the packed sand that he stumbled to his feet and hurried awkwardly out of the shallow waves, almost falling over as they crashed into the backs of his legs as he ran. He collapsed on the hot sand, wet hair falling into his eyes as he scurried backwards.

Panting, Rin watched the waves. Nothing came after him. They were calm and lazy, just like they had been earlier. There was nothing untoward about them. So … what had attacked him? Raking his hair out of his eyes he managed to calm his heartbeat. Sand clung to him in thick clumps. His chest heaved heavily, his mouth running dry like sandpaper as he braced himself up on his arms.

Whatever it was –it wasn't chasing him now.

The thought did little to reassure him though.

' _I need to get home!_ ' he thought as he scrambled to his feet, glancing briefly down at his ankle and making sure it was definitely uninjured, before grabbing his clothes, shoes and scurrying back up to the dirt track before he finally stopped to breathe. His chest was tight, the sea-water bubbling off his skin and his arms aching from the panicked retreat.

Clawing into his clothes, Rin made sure all his belongings were in his bag, sent a text to Lori to let her know he'd be home within the hour, before dragging his bike out from the crevice he'd hidden it in. His legs shook a little. With a weight settling over his shoulders, Rin decided to push his bike all the way up the narrow dirt track until he made it back to the metal barrier that cut the trail in half. At the top of the slope, he turned back and cast his gaze back over the secluded beach and felt his chest tighten.

No, there was nothing out there.

' _You're just being paranoid_ ,' he told himself as he mounted his bilke. ' _Just get home and have a calm evening_.'

He rode up the hill toward the main road. There was a niggling thought in the recesses of his brain, but he ignored it. Instead, Rin focused on peddling his bike and how sunburned his skin was going to appear in the coming hours.

Lori hugged him as soon as he entered the kitchen.

"Oh, Rin there you are! I was getting worried!" she gushed, her wide smile showing her relief.

Rin frowned as he unplugged his earphones from his ears. "Sorry Lori. I got a little lost. I went down a road by accident and had to ask for directions."

"Oh dear! You could have called me," she laughed. "I could have come to pick you up."

Rin gave an awkward smile. "I'm sorry –I didn't think."

She waved him away. "Go and get yourself washed up."

He didn't need telling twice. Turning from the kitchen, he took the stairs two at a time and headed straight into the bathroom. He had a cool shower, taking time to rinse the salt water from his body. He could already feel the tingle of faint sun burn blooming over his skin. It wasn't as bad as he'd expected, but he still needed to slather cooled after-sun cream over his back.

Dinner felt different that night. Rin couldn't put his finger on it, but it was easier to join in the conversations and even share a laugh with his exchange-parents. He could tell that Lori and Russell both noticed a change but were smart enough not to question it. Whatever it was, Rin decided to hang onto the moment for as long as possible.

He even stayed downstairs and watched football with Russell whilst Lori Skyped with her sister.

By the time he went to bed, Rin was feeling relatively relaxed. Winnie shuffled into his room and hopped onto the end of the bed, her black ears perked up when he sat at his PC and started working one some of his essays. The one good thing about having no friends and no distractions was that Rin had no excuse to fail at any given subject. As a result, he excelled in all of them. He was smart, but he'd trained himself to be the smartest.

Most people just said it was because he was 'Asian'.

Clamping his headphone over his head, Rin blocked those thoughts from his mind and started work on his English paper.

He made solid progress for the first two hours. Every so often his eyes would drift to the bottom corner of the PC and make a mental note of the time. He didn't want to get into the habit of staying up until 2am. Leaning his head on his fist, he continued to scribble notes down as he browsed the internet for information. He had a system of making notes and then letting the idea ferment in his brain for a day or two before coming up with a coherent report. He wasn't going to turn-in rubbish. His mum had worked hard getting him all that he needed to be sent on the exchange program.

He couldn't let her or his sister down.

It as funny, in a weird way he'd thought he'd be free from the responsibility of his family once he'd moved to Australia. However, as a year and then two had passed he came to understand just how much of a sacrifice it was for his mum. It had been straight after his parents had divorced. He'd resisted the idea initially, but being a kid it was easy for his mum to make light of everything, telling him it would be an adventure. He'd done a lot of research for weeks about what he might get up to in Australia. His younger self had gotten hyper at the idea of seeing a kangaroo or a koala and make even a shark-attack if he was in the right place at the right time.

None of that had happened though.

The only time he'd gotten to see anything of Australia -other than when Lori and Russell took him for weekends across-country -were when his school had field-trips. Other than that, he kept to the small corner of the country he knew and was used to.

Something touched his leg.

Jumping a little, Rin lazily peered down as Winnie hopped onto her hind legs and pawed at his knees.

He brushed her away and tried to focus on his homework.

My pawing.

Grinding his teeth together, Rin took his headphones off and raked a hand through his flat hair. "Winnie, girl, you have to let me work okay?" he said. He picked her up and held her in his lap. She squirmed; that hadn't been the attention she was after. Instead she grumbled and yipped towards the window. "What's up?" he asked, stroking his fingers over her soft coat.

Another yip.

"Did some car lights go by and spook you?" he teased with a grin.

Winnie wasn't amused. She yipped again, her little body tense in his lap.

"No barking," he warned, tapping her snout. "You don't want to wake up Lori and Russell, do you?"

The little black dog didn't relax and eventually, Rin let out a sigh.

"Fine," he said as he stood up and stretched his taut muscles. "You and these street-lights are getting silly though. You're a house-dog. You're surrounded by moving lights." He turned towards the window and tried to fiddle with the blind and get it down. It was stiff and had been sticking a lot lately. Russell had promised to fix it on the weekend but Rin didn't mind. He liked having the window open.

Unfortunately, Winnie didn't seem to.

Then he saw it.

The flashing light.

His heart stopped. It had been so long since he'd last seen it. Forcing the window open, he leaned out onto the outdoor sill and strained his neck trying to see  _exactly_  which direction it was coming from. Was it down by the fish market? Or was it out further than that? It wasn't the lighthouse he knew that much; that was down by the West coast not the East.

"What the hell is that thing?" he pondered aloud as he drew himself back into the coolness of his room. He locked the sticky heat outside and pulled his fan closer to his bed. Winnie stood up at the window, whimpering, her paws up on the ledge. Rin pulled the blind down and blocked the view of the outside world. "Come on girl, let's call it a night."

Winnie turned her wide, dark eyes up at him but let herself be carried to the bed and –after much wriggling around and long looks at the window –she settled down near his pillow, her small head in her paws.

Rin stretched out over his bed, one arm tucked under his head with a book open on his stomach. Reading would take his mind off the light –even if he was tempted to ride out on his bike after school tomorrow and see where exactly it was coming from.

Winnie stood up at the window, whimpering, her paws up on the ledge. Rin pulled the blind down and blocked the view of the outside world. "Come on girl, let's call it a night."

Winnie turned her wide, dark eyes up at him but let herself be carried to the bed and –after much wriggling around and long looks at the window –she settled down near his pillow, her small head in her paws.

Rin stretched out over his bed, one arm tucked under his head with a book open on his stomach. Reading would take his mind off the light –even if he was tempted to ride out on his bike after school tomorrow and see where exactly it was coming from. He didn't know why it felt important to know. Maybe he was just that bored? Either way, he felt the hairs on his arms prickle at the idea. It would be an adventure.

He gave a bitter little laugh as he turned a page.

Adventure indeed.

 

 

 

~0~

 

 

 

 

The following afternoon, Rin was trying to stay focused in his chemistry class but found it hard to focus. He had something other than schoolwork and swimming on his mind for the first time in months. In a strange way, he wanted to hold onto that feeling. It was different and he missed experiencing the unexpected.

He'd gotten life in Australia 'down' as though it was a game to be conquered.

The teacher handed out last week's quiz. Rin lazily accepted it, his gaze still lingering on the view outside the window. He barely flicked his gaze over his test –the large red 'A' signalling that he'd gotten a perfect score again –before tucking it into his folder and resuming his staring.

The bell chimed.

Rin took his time backing his bag before slinging it over his shoulder and proceeding to leave the cool room. The white-washed halls and lino floor were the same, however the summer months seemed to make the building even more uncomfortable. Tugging at his t-shirt, Rin tried to cool himself down as he made his way to his locker. Students milled around him, jostling and bumping against him as though they forgot he was there.

He was pretty hard to forget though.

Standing at just under six feet tall, with dark red hair and a wide mouth with sharp teeth –well maybe people weren't ignoring him. Maybe they were afraid of him? The thought almost made him chuckle.

Afraid? Of him? That was ridiculous! He was the social outcast, why would anyone be afraid of him?

Reaching his bright red locker, Rin shifted his books around, leaving behind any that he didn't need over the weekend, before slinging his back over his shoulder. He had no more lessons for the day and didn't have after-school clubs anymore. He could probably start looking into getting a summer job. That had been one of Lori's suggestions last year but Rin had lied and said he didn't feel confident in his speaking skills yet.

They'd both know he was lying, but Lori had smiled in her motherly way and simply said, "Well you can have a try next year."

Rin hadn't been thinking about it … but maybe he did need something else to get him out of the house? And surely his work colleagues would be more open-minded about him?

Shaking his head he mounted his bike and rode home through the bright sunlight.

Outside his front door, he stood underneath his bedroom window and cast his gaze in the direction the light had been. He pursed his lips. Had he ever gone that way before? Were there any landmarks that way? Would Lori know?

' _No_ ,' he thought as his shoulders sagged. ' _The last thing I should do is tell Lori I'm chasing lights_.'

Clicking his tongue, he mounted his bike again and slowly let the bike drift down the road in the vague direction he'd seen the light in. He followed the main road over and over, trying to head towards the coastline. He was sure it had come from that direction. The sun was hot overhead as he followed the curve of the roads and barely had to peddle much before he finally came to a stop at a guard rail on the top of a cliff.

The sea was a rush of blue and green frothing waves that stretched on forever.

Rin had to remember to breathe.

Was this where the light had been flashing from? He wasn't sure if there was any real way to tell unless he came out at night and looked for it. He gnawed on his bottom lip as he looked down at the beach and blanched.

This was the same beach he'd been to yesterday. Where he'd felt something grab at his ankle.

A bead of sweat ran down his forehead.

' _Nah_ ,' he shook his head, backing away from the rail, his bike squeaking between his legs. ' _Some blinking light isn't worth it._ '

With that, he awkwardly turned his bike around, re-mounted and peddled home.


	3. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to SasuNaruFan13 for pointing out my mistakes ^_^"

**_~0~_ **

 

**_Part 2_ **

 

**_~0~_ **

 

 

 

 

 

It bugged him.

It bugged the fucking fuck out of his brain on the nights when it happened.

It wasn't every night, he concluded after a week of staying awake until 3AM. After three weeks he determined that there wasn't even a pattern to it, not really. By the time a month had passed Rin could find no discernible pattern for the lights. In spite of his curiousity, he didn't bother going back to that empty beach again, not even just to walk along the shallows. The thought of something sneaking up on him left a cold knot in his stomach.

He tried his best to ignore Winnie hopping up on his bed or up at the windowsill and growl quietly at the empty blackness beyond. He told himself it was nothing. He told himself to focus on his work. He told himself that he couldn't feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up on end.

In said month he did push himself out of his little comfort zone and get a part time job, though. Lori had been so pleased when he'd asked her about it and she'd said she knew a friend who worked in town. Rin had wanted to back-out as soon as the words had left his mouth, but Lori had insisted it would do him some good.

He had his first shift tomorrow afternoon.

It was nothing major, she warned, but it would be working in a small café across from the beach. That was the only thing that appealed to Rin. Getting to look out at the marvellous ocean every time he felt his mind dare to drift would help him relax around people.

Lori seemed to buzz with renewed energy at the thought of Rin experiencing more of Australia's suburban social life.

The bell chimed for the end of the school day. Rin jumped a little at the sound, his eyes swerving to the clock above the door. Was it really the end of the day already? With a groan, he raked a hand through his hair and packed his books away into his messenger bag. He trailed out off the school grounds. He didn't have his bike today. It was getting too hot to cycle, even in the early mornings.

Plus, he was lazy.

He had seen that blinking light against last night. A part of him hadn't taken his bike so that he wouldn't be tempted to go back to that beach again. Yet, it niggled at his mind. Not having a bike didn't help matters, though. He still found his legs guiding him towards that downward curve of road, only at a much slower pace. His grip on the strap of his bag was tight as he walked.

Was he really doing this? Was he really going back to that odd, empty beach? Why?

After about a solid hour of walking he was there, at the barrier looking down at the steep slope down towards the white-gold sands.

' _The fuck am I doing?_ ' he thought. Despite his misgivings, he felt his trainers guiding him step-by-step through the sandy grit towards the beach below.

The beach wasn't as empty as his previous visits. This time there was a couple a short distance away walking their dog, and some surfers lazily bobbed in the waves, the sun catching on their wet mops of hair and lean muscles. Rin felt his gut squirm. Had he really just gotten paranoid last time? Nothing untoward seemed to be happening to anyone in the vicinity. He bit down on his lip as he mounted a series of flat rocks, his gaze focused out onto the waves.

Settling down on the rock, Rin set his bag beside him and was sat. As the late afternoon sun fell upon him, he found himself wondering about that incident. Had he simply gotten tangled on some seaweed? It wasn't uncommon for large clumps to drift about above or below the water. Had he drank enough during the day? He couldn't remember; perhaps a touch of heatstroke had helped his mind warp things out or proportion.

The damp, salty breeze tickled his nose and made his limbs twitch with the urge to swim.

He toed off his shoes and socks and hopped down off the rock before making his way towards the waves breaking on the shore. He let the cool water rush over his feet. Just like that, his worries had dissipated. Squeezing his shoes into his bag, he swung it over his shoulder and continued to walk along through the soft, frothy waves, keeping a wary eye out for any stray jellyfish.

He'd been stung be one, once, when he was twelve. He didn't wish to repeat the experience.

The further he walked around the natural curve of the cliff-line, the more Rin felt his worries, concerns, and general thoughts vanish into nothingness. For the first time in a long time he was focusing on nothing but that moment; the way the sand gave way to his feet, leaving footprints behind, how the gritty sand squished between his toes as the water rushed over his ankles, sometimes spraying his shins. Thankfully he'd thought to roll his trousers up over his knees.

After about an hour or so of walking, he came to another curve in the cliffs. The beach he'd originally walked from was out of sight and the feeling left him feeling somewhat vulnerable.

' _I can always go back,_ ' he reassured himself. ' _It's only turning around and walking in a straight line, after all._ '

 

Another ten minutes wondering Rin decided that it was about time to turn back. It'd take him just as long to get back and then make his way home. He still had his first shift of proper work tomorrow, so he didn't want to be too run-down. Lori would be starting dinner in a couple of hours, too. He had grown to adore her food, even if all the swimming and cycling kept the fat off his bones. He could gorge himself forever on her cooking.

That's when it caught his eye. The cave.

It was just an opening, a thick crack in the cliff-side, but sea water rushed into the opening and sloshed around inside. Curiosity piqued, Rin wondered over towards it. It was at an angle, leading into the sea. The cliff jutted out towards the shoreline. Rin had been walking further down near the water and hadn't paid it much attention prior.

It was cool and damp inside the cave.

Despite the hairs prickling on the back of his neck, Rin needed a five minute break somewhere cool and shady. It was a long walk back and he'd probably already gotten some degree of sunburn on his arms and face. It was such a relief as the shadows fell over him. He felt as though he were able to breathe again. There was little light in the cave, but as he stepped through and his eyes adjusted he noticed that there was a small green pool softly rippling as each wave from the sea trickled into it.

"Wow," he breathed out, letting eyes take in the simplistic beauty. The cave walls were high as far as he could see, and weren't as rough to the touch as he'd imagined. His shoes slipped a little on the damp rocks as he walked around the pebbly rim of the rock pool. Sunlight seemed to creep in through the mouth of the cave which meant that Rin wasn't in total darkness.

The quiet lapping of the water was soothing.

Settling down on a rock, knees to his chest, Rin looked down into the rippling green water. If he focused and tilted his head at just the right angle, he could just about see small fish lazily darting to and fro. Rin hesitated for a few moments, before letting his legs droop down so that his feet skimmed the water. Oh, it shouldn't have felt that good! But it did -in this heat anything remotely room-temperature felt like heaven!

He didn't know how long he stayed like that, really. The sky started to grow pink beyond the cave opening. He needed to make a move. Cocking one leg up, he toed on his shoe and was just doing the laces up when something shot out of the water. He flinched back against the rock as something slimy and cold gripped his ankle tightly and tugged. Grit and sharp stones raked his skin as he slipped to the edge.

Salty water rushed up his nose, blocked his ears and punched his gag reflex. He tried to gasp for air, but that only let more water in. He felt so violently sick! His limbs hit against jagged rocks as he scrambled to reach the pool's edge; he kicked out against whatever had his leg, his hands and nails slipping uselessly against the stones.

Something gave.

His head broke out above the water.

Air rushed into his lungs -it stung!

The rocky side grazed and cut his arms, the salt-water making them burn. Grit bit through his shirt as he managed to scramble onto the ledge, pushing himself as far away from the edge of the rock pool as possible. He panted heavily, his clothes in shreds hanging off his body. Blinking water from his eyes, he tried to see what had launched at him -where was it? What had it been?

It was so dim in the cave he could barely see to the other side of the rocky space.

The sun had almost completely set by now, only a deep russet hue staining the dark purple waves.

His heart hammered in his chest.

A sharp wind made his skin break out in goosepimples. His gut was still swirling with sea-water and he heaved over the gritty sand. ' _I need to get home!_ ' was the only thought in his mind as his hands dug into the rough earth and dragging himself inch-by-inch away from the rock-pool.

Something sloshed in the water.

Rin froze, pressing himself flat against the earth, desperately trying to make himself invisible. There was something in the water; something long and dark with large fins. Sweat broke out over his clammy skin. Scrambling to his feet, Rin backed away to the mouth of the cave, the cool twilight air making his skin sting. He caught sight of something with glowing eyes peering over the dark water, staring right at him.

He turned and ran.

Rin didn't stop until he reached the top of the cliffside where he'd left his bike. Everything ached and stung and he was sure he was scarred everywhere. The pain niggled whenever his clothes rubbed against him the wrong way. He saw stars as he doubled over, gasping for breath. His mind was reeling. What the  _fuck_  was it with this beach? There was no way he could deny it now; there  _was_  something lurking in the water.

It made his gut twist.

With shaking hands Rin tried to straighten himself up. He awkwardly limped as fast as his sore legs would allow. He could barely keep in a straight line -a car or two honked their horns at him -it was all just loud sounds and bright lights blurring by.

 

 

 

 

By the time his house came into view he was doused in sweat, his skin burning with furious stinging sensations and his mind was shot. Rin hurried through the kitchen door and moved to take off his bag when his hands find empty air.  _Shit_. Ducking back into the street he determined that, yes, he left his  _fucking_  schoolbag at the beach!

" _Rin? Is that you?_ "

Rin froze, every muscle tight and sweating. Letting out a long sigh that deflated his entire body, Rin turned back and walked into the house. "Yes Lori!" he called back. "I'm just going to shower!"

" _Dinner will be ready soon!_ "

"I'll be quick!"

He hurried up the stairs. He nearly collapsed against the bathroom door, the heat and lightheadedness hitting him full-force as he finally stilled, on the toilet seat, and hunched over. Once his head and stopped spinning, he shakily stood up and fiddled with the shower knobs until a tepid spray spurted out over his arm. Quickly shedding his clothes, Rin stepped into the water, grabbed his loofah and start vigorously scrubbing at his body. He tried to get rid of every grain of sand out of every crevice of his body. Towards the end of his shower he still didn't feel entirely clean.

As he stepped out of the tub and onto the soft towel, Rin yelped as his ankle twisted underneath him. Glancing down, he saw that there was a dull red band staining his skin. When -had that happened? Was that from the creature that had grabbed him? His stomach sank inside him. Kneeling down, he tenderly pressed his fingers against the skin -and hissed as pain shot through him.

"... The fuck?" he choked out, bracing himself against the sink before hobbling out of the bathroom.

He needed to get dressed. Lori couldn't see him with an injury. She'd do nothing but fret over him the entire night. He quickly changed into a pair of long, loose bottoms despite the dull heat emanating from outside, and pulled on vest and trudged downstairs just in time for dinner to be served at the table.

Later that night Rin found himself at his desk going over his homework for the following week with his headphones clamped down over his ears. He kept eyeing the small clock on his desk; he had his first day of paid work tomorrow and he wanted to be prepared for it. Still, his mind wouldn't quieten enough for him to feel rested. His mind kept wondering back to that beach, the ocean, and how vast they were.

They could change in the blink of an eye and then he'd be a goner.

 

_Just like Papa._

 

He jerked in his chair, sweat beading on his forehead. He -hadn't thought about his Papa in a long time. His mouth ran dry. It had been a really long time since ... since ...

His eyes misted over.

Sniffing loudly, he cuffed at his eyes and his nose. It had been a good few years but that didn't make the pain any easier to bear. It made his chest tight and his throat close-up. He'd had to harden himself. He needed to be the best, to make his Papa proud of him, and enable himself a better future. Not just for him, but also for his mama and sister. Raking a hand through his hair he slouched in his deskchair and swivelled from side-to-side. Winnie hopped off his bed and trotted over to nuzzle against his good ankle.

He let his arm drop to slowly stroke her head.

Staring at his laptop screen -his Japanese to English dictionary spread open to one side -he curled an arm behind his head and sighed loudly. The event of that afternoon were making him jumpy. He'd downed so much water throughout dinner that he'd needed to get up and pee several times in the last hour. He didn't want to struggle out of bed due to sun-stroke. With that in mind, Rin powered everything down and slipped his headphones off his head.

"Come on, Winnie, time for bed," he mumbled, padding over to the bed, his butt hurting from where he'd been sitting. He stretched his tight muscles, wincing at the faint sunburn he'd gotten and slipped -topless -into the cool sheets. Winnie hopped up onto the bed and was about to curl up when her ears pricked. Just as Rin reached over to flick the light off, she started to growl.

"Winnie, come on now. I need to get to sleep."

Still, she growled quietly, her small beady eyes glaring up at the window.

Shifting up onto his elbows, Rin jostled his legs. "Winnie enough!" he hissed sharply. Her growling stopped, but she didn't turn away from the window. "Let me sleep, otherwise you can sleep in the hallway."

As if she understood, Winnie reluctantly sunk down beside his legs.

He'd barely settled down when Winnie had jumped off the bed, paws up on his windowsill and started growling. It got to the point he was sure she'd start barking. He didn't want Lori and Russell to wake up.

"OH for GODS SAKE!" he hissed, kicking his sheets off and sliding onto the floor. Resting on his knees, he ruffled Winnie's belly as he lifted the blind up. They sat that way for a while, staring out at the black stretch of road before them. The only lights from the town over the hill twinkled in the darkness. Rin rested his head against Winnie's and was about to gather the pup in his arms and carry her back to bed, when something winked at him.

He sat up straighter, his body flushing as -yes! -he saw it again! That damned, flashing light!

It wasn't normal ... It reminded him of something. Something he was sure his Papa had taught him, once upon a time. What  _was_  it? Grabbing a pen and post-it from his desk, he quickly scribbled down the length of the blinks.

 

 

**... - - - ...**

 

 

With a frown he grabbed his phone and did a quick search on his crummy internet. Finally, he found what he was looking for; the Morse Code Dictionary. He chewed his lip as he translated the blinks.

 

 

**S. O. S.**

 

 

S.O.S.? Rin frowned. Someone was in trouble? An image of his Papa flashed through his mind and he slammed his phone down into his lap. No, he didn't need to think on that right now. No one was in trouble. He knew where that damned light was coming from and if anyone was dumb enough to go down to that beach at this time of night -well, it wasn't his concern.

Scooping Winnie up into his arms, he dropped the blinds down to fully cover his windows and hoped it would be enough to keep Winnie distracted enough to fall asleep on him. The sheets were cool as he slipped back into them. He turned his back to the window, Winnie curled up between him and the wall. He rested a hand on her back, feeling comforted by her presence.

Soon they both fell asleep.

 

 

 

 

~0~

 

 

 

 

"-So if you short-change someone by mistake, punch in this code and that's pretty much it! Any questions?"

Rin frowned down at the cheerful girl. He was almost a foot taller than she was. Her dark brown hair was clawed back into a high ponytail, and she had a tattoo sleeve creeping up her left arm and disappearing into the arm of her yellow polo shirt. "Uh ... No. I think you've covered everything." He winced at his tone. He needed to work on that.

The girl -Gemma -wasn't affected. Or if she was, she didn't let on. "Brilliant! Now don't worry I won't leave you alone on your first day."

"Oh. Good."

"I'll mainly be dealing with getting peoples orders ready and serving them, but if you need any help you can just call me, okay?"

Rin nodded and gave a small chuckle. "Thank you. That's very kind."

Gemma's blue eyes glimmered a little. Probably thinking his accent was 'adorable'. It was surreal how many people -girls mainly -went from thinking he probably smelled funny to thinking he was cute, purely because he was Japanese. The fact that he still tripped over some words didn't help matters much. She watched him for a moment longer before turning to face the counter. "You know what? It's your first day and we're pretty quiet at the moment. I'll watch over you for the first hour, okay?"

Rin felt his insides twist with gratitude. "Yes. Thank you. I ... appreciate it."

She beamed up at him and he felt himself smiling back.

His first shift at the cafe went a lot better than he'd expected. Gemma was an absolute delight and it left Rin feeling somewhat strange. He wasn't used to people being so openly nice to him. Had this been one of the things he'd been missing out on? He didn't add too much weight to it; they were now co-workers and she was just being friendly, showing him the ropes and such. Still -he reasoned -it was nice to know that someone wasn't going to give him grief for being Asian.

Lori wanted to hear all about his day, even if there wasn't much to tell. The people had been kind enough and Gemma had dealt with one old, cranky man who liked things 'a certain way'. Rin decided to go and make a start on his homework before dinner. It was still early in the day, the sun was still blazing hot outside, but Rin had nothing better to do in that moment.

He worked on his assignments for a little while, Winnie nestled in his lap. Lori popped in to offer him an ice-lolly. He sucked away at it, the strawberry juices running down his chin every now and then. By the time the sun was hanging low over the house and the ice lolly had all but evaporated, Rin kicked his chair away from the desk and stretched all his aching limbs. His joints popped and his let out a long groan. He glanced at the clock.

4:53PM.

"How about it, Winnie?" he asked, stroking the pup behind the ears. "Do you fancy a walk on the beach?"

The pup yipped excitedly and hurried off ahead of him and down the stairs. Rin chuckled and willingly followed, a niggling bubble of anxiety resurfacing. He'd be able to have a look for his bag as well. He hoped it wasn't too far from the trail he'd used.

 

 

 

For some reason, he felt as though something guided him back to that beach that third time. Maybe it was his subconscious mind taking over for a moment? He wasn't sure but Rin wasn't too surprised when he refocused his gaze and came face-to-face with the steep trail down to the white sand and sparkling blue water. "This is it girl," he crooned as the pup tugged at the lead. He huffed a small smile and allowed Winnie to readily guide the way down the slope, her little tail waggling vigorously.

The frothing waves fizzled around his ankles as they walked along the shoreline.

Winnie seemed to be thoroughly enjoying chasing the waves and bounding ahead as Rin let the extendable lead unwind. He laughed as she yipped and bounced around. It was somewhat calming and enjoyable. As they strolled along the sand, Rin scanned his eyes for his messenger bag, his heart twisting whenever he saw a flash of bright orange that turned out to be a submerged juice bottle, or a broken frisbee. Thankfully, he'd remembered to rub some sun-cream on before heading out of the house. The last thing he needed was to turn the same colour as his hair.

A tug on the lead snapped him back to reality.

Winnie had broken free!

"WINNIE, NO!" he yelled. He sprinted after her but she'd gotten a really good head-start. "WINNIE!"

She galloped ahead of him, sand drifting up into the still air. Rin should have been able to catch up to her, but her four little legs carried her beyond her usual means. By the time he caught sight of her running into the cave, his heart was hammering as it sunk uncomfortably as he keeled over, bracing himself on his knees as he panted.

Her soft yipping echoed out from the cave.

Straightening up, Rin winced at the ache in his chest as he wound the lead around his hand and ventured into the cool, damp darkness.

He found Winnie on the far side of the rock pool, head bent over the rocks sniffing curiously at the dark green water as it lazily lapped against the rocks. Her tail wagged slowly as she continued to sniff and explore.

"Winnie!" He hurried as cautiously as he could around the slippery rock. Before he reached the small black pup, the lapping of the water grew louder. Something shot out and Rin nearly slipped into the pool as he scooped Winnie up into his arms, pressing himself against the damp cave wall, his heart in his throat.

"STAY AWAY, DO YOU HEAR?!" he yelled out, not even understanding why he was yelling. His mind was a mess. Winnie wriggled and started to bark shrilling in his ears.

The white rage dissipated in his eyes and he was able to focus through the dim light. Something rose out of the water. It was dark and black and the eyes seemed to glow, wide and alien.

Rin wanted to vomit.

Or scream.

Or both.

The creature rose further out of the water, the long, greenish-blue gills protruding from around its narrow neck. The wide, glowing eyes blinked slowly, the scales almost  _bristling_  as they were exposed to the air. Rin could run. He could run easily; just grip Winnie tightly and leg-it out onto the sand. What if the creature could walk on sand? Then what? What if it was fast, too?

He was fucked.

His legs were rooted to the gritty, damp floor. His bones were shaking inside his flesh and he was sure he'd pissed himself when the creature loomed closer, its thin lips pulling back over sharp teeth. A hiss filled the air.

He smacked down on the rough rocky floor before his brain realised his knees have given way. Winnie barked madly, finally wriggling free and bolting around the edge of the pool. The wide eyes slurped sideways. Rin acted on impulse. He dove straight for the creature as it turned to make a lunge for Winnie as she hurried toward the exit. He lost his footing and was submerged into the dark green water.

Grit floated into every crevice.

He gasped and clawed awkwardly for air. He had barely broken the surface when something thick and strong clamped around his neck and dragged him back under. His yell was suffocated under the water as the feeble light faded to a dull green blur over his head. He kicked and scrambled and clawed at the strange, slippery creature as they sank.

He did some wrestling and was able to wrench himself free.

Kicking his legs, he powered his arms like motor blades towards the surface.

He could barely savour the air as he broke through the waves and clambered awkwardly over the wet rocks. He slipped twice, a gash opening and bleeding over his skin. It slathered over the stone and dribbled into the sloshing waves. Dropping over onto the grainy cave floor. His lungs screamed for air, his shin was hot, sticky and the salt water was searing his veins.

Had he done it? Had he escaped?

A sharp hiss ripped through the air.

Rin froze. He hadn't done it. Shit!

Bolting upright, he came face-to-face with the creature as it leered over a wide, flat rock. His arms were cocked backwards, long, spidery fins weaving down from his forearms and scales clustered over its pearly skin. Now that it was closer, even through the dim light, Rin could make out its rather flat face, it's wide, protruding eyes and the gills and fins that seemed to start and stop all over the top-half of this alien-fish!

It's mouth slowly opened, saliva shining on the ...  _fangs_?

Rin felt his stomach drop when the thing started to heave.

"Hhnnnnng ... hunnnnnggh ... Wnnnng ... Wh-Wi-i-i-i-in ... I-e-e-e-e-e-e ..."

He felt sick.

This wasn't happening.

"Win ... hmmmmmuh ... I-i-e-e-e-e-e ..."

Something snapped inside him. He lurched to his feet, sand getting into his wound, when he hurried around the rock pool. The wide, glowing eyes watched his movements but the creature didn't make another move to try and attack him. Rin took that as a green light and ran clumsily towards the mouth of the cave.

He fell into the bright sand outside the cave, getting tons in his mouth as he scrambled away from the crack in the cliffside. His heart hammered in his chest and he had the sudden urge to cry. The shock was too much for his brain to process.

Something snuffled awkwardly at his face.

Craning up, Rin was able to see Winnie wagging her tail through his teary eyes. "OH God ... Winnie ..." he choked out. He gathered her up in his arms clutched her against his chest and buried his nose into her soft, fine hair. "Oh God Winnie ... I almost lost you!"

The tears came.

He sat there on his haunches, crying into Winnie's fur. He snivelled and wept as the reality of it all sank into him. He'd almost lost Winnie. She was literally his best friend, the most important thing in his life in that moment. Losing her would break him. He'd be left entirely alone and that was enough to scare him to death. Glancing back towards the cave, Rin felt a shiver run down his spine.

It had been so close.

Drawing in a deep breath, Rin wiped his face down before clearing his throat. He unwound the lead from around his hand. He'd gripped it as a feeble lifeline. His hands shook as he managed to hook it onto Winnie's collar. "Come on, girl," he murmured weakly. "Let's get you home."

That night, Rin took his time to bathe Winnie. She'd gotten a lot of dirt and grit stuck in her, so he'd filled up a small tub with warm, soapy water and stationed it on the patio in the backyard. Winnie had thoroughly enjoyed being shampooed and rinsed and splashed Rin relentlessly as he'd played tug-o-war with her chew toys. Rin was sodden by the time Russell convinced him to let Winnie dry off and go and get ready for movie night.

Rin stretched out on his bed, headphones on and reading his assigned book for English class.

Winnie nestled against his side as he lazily stroked her fine, soft fur.

He was so engrossed in his book that Winnie's sudden tension made him frown and look away from the printed page in front of him. "What's up pup?" he asked. He followed the direction she was looking in and felt his chest tighten.

Outside the window.

He pursed his lips and returned to his book.

Winnie wuffed weakly.

Tugging off his headphones, Rin spun on the bed, jostling Winnie in the process, and stared out of the window. At first he didn't see anything and then ...

 

**. - - .. -. -. .. .**

 

 

Rin cocked his head. He couldn't deny he was curious. He waited for it to repeat itself. He jotted it down over the course of half an hour before pulling the app up on his phone and translating the flashes and dashes.

 

**_W I N N I E_ **

 

 

 _No_.

There was no way this was happening.

It could not be THAT THING.

Rin felt his stomach drop out of him. He pulled the blinds down completely and even drew the curtains. It would get stuffy in the room but he didn't care. There was no real way Winnie could always see the flashes, though. He glanced at Winnie and frowned as she cocked her head from side-to-side. Could she ... hear it? Were these signals being transmitted in some sort of frequency that only dogs could hear?

Somehow that was even more terrifying.

Getting back into his bed, Rin coddled Winnie against his chest, effectively spooning her, and pressed his nose to the top of her head. "It's okay," he murmured. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Now if only someone could look out for him the same way he looked out for Winnie.

The same way his friends back home used to look out for him.

He was so alone.


	4. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that it took me 5-6 weeks to update but things got on top of me (including comic con, work and my birthday!) I hope you enjoy this rather long update and that the wait was worth it!

**_~0~_ **

**_Part 3_ **

**_~0~_ **

 

 

 

_The lights were the creature._

_The lights._

_Were the creature_.

 

Rin tightened his jaw as he hunched over his knees. He was sitting on the bench outside the communal pool, the sun finally setting low over the cliffs in the distance. Rin was waiting to be picked up. Everyone else had gone home for the night, but Rin being the loner he was, needed to wait for Russell to come and pick him up. Well he didn't  _need_  to wait, but Rin liked the few extra moments he got to spend with Russell. The man was his surrogate father after-all.

A horn beeped.

Rin looked up in time to see Russell pulling up to the kerb.

Getting to his feet, the teen dragged his soaked swim-bag over to the passenger side door. He climbed in, dumping the satchel at his feet, and sighing as the AC hit his flushed body. "How was swim practice?" Russell asked as he turned the radio down a little. "Is the coach still an ass to you?"

Rin chuckled dryly. "A little, but he can't deny I've gotten better."

Russell grinned. "That's great! Did you beat your best time yet?"

"I did actually. I shaved twenty-two seconds off my last time."

"And are you the fastest on the team?"

Rin felt his shoulders slump a little but he forced himself to remain positive. "Not yet, no. I am second though. There's only about half a minute separating us so as long as I keep up my training and exercise, then I should be able to break into the lead."

"That's great, kid, I'm proud of you!"

The ball of pride swelled within the teens chest as he focused on the streetlights flashing by through the windows. He couldn't deny that he loved listening to how proud his exchange-parents were of his achievements. Even his mum and sister were amazed at how well he'd been doing with his swimming and other various training exercises. He got told not to strain himself, but Rin found that he had very little else to do other than his homework and -now -his part-time job.

He'd had to use some of his first paycheque to replace his messenger bag and his school textbook. It'd only been his mathematics book, however he'd managed to get a second-hand copy so it hadn't been too expensive. He'd had to ask for a extension on the homework, but due to his higher than average grades, a quick fib about his dog being sick during the last week had opened up a new avenue for him.

Suffice to say, the homework had gotten done within two days and handed in as soon as possible.

The one thing Rin hadn't been brought up to be, was a slacker.

They stopped off for take-away on the way home and ate it in the living room with Lori as they watched TV. Rin ate on the floor with his legs crossed and deflty offering Winnie some shrimp with his chopsticks. She sniffed at it before gingerly taking it with her soft dark lips. Lori nudged him with her foot but Rin just threw her a smile, insisting that Winnie loved the stuff.

As he lay in bed later that night, Rin stretched out in his stuffy room, the heat making him irritable as he stared up at the ceiling. He had tried, over the last three weeks to put the creature and the lights out of his mind. Eventually the lights had dwindled away and Winnie had stopped getting spooked in the early hours of the morning. However, that didn't stop Rin from losing sleep. He found himself tossing and turning, fretting about whether he'd missed some homework or if he'd lost something else.

Nothing was ever wrong.

So what was bothering him?

' _Maybe I'm just homesick?_ ' he'd found himself thinking a few times. He hadn't spoken with his mum and sister over Skype in a long time. Maybe that was it? Maybe he just missed his family. Well, tomorrow evening he'd need to change that. With a new goal in mind, Rin turned on his side and tried to get some sleep.

 

 

 

 

~0~

 

 

 

Another two weeks passed and Rin's restlessness would not abate. He'd taken to regularly emailing his family at least, even sending one to Makoto for old times sake if nothing else. His school work was all accounted for, he and Gemma got on well at the cafe on the weekends and his coach was impressed when he finally cut fifty seconds off his time, making him the lead-swimmer for his team.

Over-all he had been the most productive he'd been in a while, and yet there was still  _something_  that niggled at him.

The flashing lights had come back, too.

They hadn't spelled anything in morse code, which was leading Rin to believe his anxiety had morphed everything. Had he been seeing things? He doubted it, but then he also doubted his doubt. If only he had more friends to talk things over with. In the end, he'd started to slowly open-up to Gemma.

"Have you ever thought about going back there?" Gemma asked as they each wiped down some of the booth tables.

"What do you mean?" Rin frowned.

"To that cave," Gemma said, hands on her hips. Her face split into a smile, "You're not scared are you?" she teased.

"No!" Rin snapped, harsher than necessary. "It's just ... What if something happens? No one will know where I am."

"I'll know."

"Not really. Not if I don't tell you when I go or where the place is."

"So show me," she grinned.

Rin stiffened, leaning over the table. Show her? Was she serious? Either she didn't believe him, or she was more reckless than he'd given her credit for. "No," he eventually sighed, reanimating enough to scrub the table clean and move onto the next one.

"What do you mean no?" she continued to grin, leaning on the other side of his current table. "Come on, Rin, if someone goes with you, it won't be as scary."

"And if something happens?" he asked.

"Then I'll call the police!"

Rin bristled as he towered over her. She was undeterred. Clearly she had made up her mind. Rin felt his shoulders sag a little. "I ... it's not a good idea."

"Neither was my ex-boyfriend, but that didn't stop me," she shrugged. She flounced off to clean the breakfast bar, and Rin was left feeling a little astounded. Maybe Gemma had a point? Maybe it wouldn't be as scary going back with someone?

Was he really considering this again for the third time?

In the end, Gemma didn't give him much of a choice.

She waited for him after they closed the cafe up at 4PM, arms crossed over her chest. Rin stopped short, narrowing his eyes at her as he unchained his bike. "What're you waiting for?" he asked.

"You of course."

"Why?"

"We're going to the beach," she stated, taking her bike and mounting it, her feet barely skimming the floor. "You can show me this cave of yours."

"And if something bad happens?" he frowned.

"Then I'll hold your hand if you get scared," she teased with a smirk. "Come on, I don't know where I'm going. You need to lead the way."

Rin ground his teeth, wanted to be perfectly clear that he didn't have to do anything of the sort, however another tug on his gut propelled his legs over his bike. He mounted. "Fine," he ground out, teeth barred. "But if things go wrong ... it's your fault."

Gemma laughed brightly as she followed him down the road.

 

 

 

Something about riding with another human made the experience somewhat enjoyable.

They rode in silence until they got to the top of the slope next to the barrier that closed-off the road. They chained their bikes up there and, with their bags slung over their shoulders, Rin steeled himself as he gradually led Gemma down the slope towards the stretch of beach below. Their shoes ground into the grit, only disappearing once they landed in the soft white sand.

"This is a nice place," Gemma commented as she combed her hair back into a ponytail and surveyed the beach. It was long, wide, and untainted by tourists or students. "Nice and quiet." Rin could only nod in reply. "So, where's this cave of yours?"

Rin grumbled as he gestured to his left. "Down this way," he said before dragging his feet through the sand, Gemma following alongside him like an excitable sprite.

They walked down the strip of sand that wound its way around the cliffside. They provided a vast amount of shade from the burning sunshine, and Rin was relieved. He and Gemma walked along in silence until she started to break it with generic questions about how he came to Australia, an intrigue about his life before. Rin found himself telling her, briefly, about his dad and the accident, how that had spurred him on to be the best swimmer he could be. How he made friends back in Japan and competed.

How he missed his friends.

How he missed Haruka.

 _Haru_  ...

Rin found himself stopping, lost in thought. He hadn't thought about Haru in a long, long time.

Gemma ended up walking a few paces ahead of him before she realised he'd stopped. She turned back to him with a frown. "Rin? Are you okay?"

Rin jerked out of his daze and forced a smile. "Uh ... yeah. I'm okay." He cast a glance over her shoulder and felt his gut tighten. "Eh ... Looks like we're here."

Turning to look at the cave entrance, Gemma's mouth opened in awe. "Wow, it really is a long way from the road." Stepping over to Rin, Gemma tilted her head. "Do you want to take a look inside?"

His first instinct was to say 'no'. But then ... maybe it wouldn't be so bad? There was safety in numbers, wasn't there? He hummed in thought, eyeing the cracked mouth of the cave. The damp, coolness within seemed to beckon him closer.

"I guess ... it wouldn't hurt to look."

Gemma grinned. Together, they ducked inside the cave.

It was dimly lit, damp and cool, a much needed relief.

Rin hadn't realised just how hot it had been until the coolness washed over him like the waves slowly lapping into the pool several feet in front of them. If it hadn't been for his previous incident, Rin would have found the place almost calming. Gemma looked around, palming at the cool, shining stones. She ooh'ed and ahh-ed as she experimentally trod further inside, her plimsolls squeaking a little in the damp sand.

She walked up the slope, her head twisting and turning every which way so she could take it all in.

Rin held back, his shoulders hunched and his muscles tensed, ready to flee if the water in the pool did so much as ripple aggressively.

"This place is pretty nice," she commented as she took a seat on a ledge higher up. Rin followed reluctantly. From this vantage point they could see most of the cave, though it was closer to the entrance than the rockpool further down the other end. Leaning back on her hands, Gemma took her sunglasses off. "What was so bad about this place?"

"It wasn't the place," Rin said, "It was the thing that came in here."

" _Both_  times?" she cocked a teasing eyebrow.

"Yes."

They lapsed into silence. It's wasn't uncomfortable, which surprised Rin as he hung his legs over the ledge, swinging them idly. A warm breeze wafted in down the tunnel of the cave entrance. It was nice. Rin got comfortable leaning against the cave wall, letting the events of the day wash over him. It was really nice, having someone to hang around with. Why had he been so adverse to trying to make friends in middle school?

"So tell me more about your childhood," Gemma finally probed, shifting so that she could see him better. "Tell me about your friends. The ones on the swim team."

Rin shrugged a stiff shoulder. "Not much to tell."

"Oh, go on!" she urged, nudging his shoulder. "Tell me!"

Rin let out a weary sigh but couldn't help smiling at her. "Well, Makoto is the tallest. He is sort of the leader -keeps everyone in place. There is Nagisa -he's a boy. Very hyper."

"He already sounds adorable!" Gemma grinned. "Who else?"

"Then ... There's Haru."

"Oh? Do you not like this Haru?"

"Oh no!" Rin combed a hand through his hair. "Haru is the best! He's the fastest swimmer I ever raced with. We ... Used to race all the time."

"Did he always win?"

Rin felt his mouth smile. "Yeah -he always won. That's why I came to Australia! To get faster than Haru and join the Olympics!"

"Wow that's impressive, if you make it," Gemma grinned. "What about Haru? Do you think he'll go in for the Olympics too?"

"I ... don't think so," Rin frowned, suddenly at a loss. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure what Haru wanted to do for his future. It was always a big, unplanned mystery for that boy.

Gemma seemed to take the hint that Rin didn't want to talk about his old friends anymore. She swept her gaze as far as she could through the cave and let out a soft, relax sigh. It was peaceful here. If nothing else, Rin should feel blessed to have a secret hiding spot away from the rest of the world that wasn't filled with the usual trash from tourists.

They stayed in the cave for a few more hours, until the sun grew dimmer and bathed the entrance of the cave in a dull, rosy hue. Gemma stood up and brushed her shorts down before stretched out all the kinks in her muscles. Rin followed suit and together they carefully picked there way down the slope and through the entrance onto the sandy beach.

The sun hung like a pomegranate above the waves and the dusty blue twilight sent a shiver down Rin's spine.

As they neared the cliff where their bikes were waiting for them, Gemma hugged an arm around his shoulder -a feat, seeing as she had to stand on tip-toes -and squeezed. "I told you there was nothing scary in the cave!" she chimed. "You probably got spooked by something silly. It's just your imagination playing tricks on you."

Rin grimaced, knowing full well what he'd seen, but decided against arguing. "Yeah," he agreed. "Must have been."

 

 

 

 

~0~

 

 

 

 

Rin gripped the wrapped paper packet in his hands, the sun searing the back of his legs and neck as he stared up at the cracked cave opening. The smell of dead fish kept tickling his nose and making him feel queasy. He'd never been much of a fan of fish but he decided this was the easiest way to do what Gemma said and 'face his fear'.

She had no idea how literal the scenario would be.

Ducking into the cave, Rin clutched his packet tighter. He was sure he was pulverising the fish. He settled down on the smooth rocky ledge and unwrapped the fish. Mackerel had been the cheapest fish at the market, so he sincerely hope the creature didn't prefer squid. Well, if he was hoping for anything, it would be that the creature wasn't real.

And so, he waited.

It took a lot longer than Rin expected. It got to the point where his stomach was squirming, he was tempted to eat the fish just to stop it from swirling.

Rin sat crossed legged on the ledge, crunching through an energy bar when the water churned. He jumped as the water broke over the top of the inky-blue head of the creature. His heart stopped in his throat as they stared at one another. Those glowing yellow eyes were wide and calculating as the water lapped around the head. Rin tried to ignore the panicked sweat that clung to his skin and dripped down the back of his neck. He barely dared to breathe lest be provoke the creature.

Ever-so-slowly, he reached down for one of the mackerels. The large eyes twitched downwards, watching his slow movements. Said eyes narrowed but the creature remained still.

The paper crinkled.

It sounded like lightning.

With a trembling arm, Rin tossed the fish to the far side of the rock-pool, hoping the current didn't sweep it out. The creature dove after it quickly, a dark blur below the surface. Rin let out a sigh but didn't relax. The creature raised it's head out of the water, chomping its jaws of sharp teeth over and over around the fish until it slid down its throat.

If there was ever a display of dominance, this was it.

Rin swallowed tightly, the second fish quaking in his hand as he lifted it. Dull eyes fixated on the fish before Rin dropped it into the water, closer to the rocky ledge. The creature sank below the lapping waves, before reemerging just a few feet away from Rin, it's sharp teeth sinking into the fish's flesh.

What was he doing? Why was he engaging with this lethal animal? Was it his face? The way it seemed smoother now, almost as though it was ... a human face?

Frowning, Rin tried to get a closer look at the thing before him. Its face  _had_  changed! There were less scales, the eyes were smaller and a little more sunken, the cheeks smoother with a small pointed chin. It looked a little like -

He froze.

 _Haru_.

The creature looked like Haru.

Rin's insides ran cold. He hadn't seen Haru in years. He wasn't even sure if he could consider themselves friends anymore. What of Haru? Makoto often said he was the same as he'd ever been, but that didn't mean anything to Rin. He only had those few, faded memories tucked away in his desk drawer to recall. He wasn't there to witness any subtle changes of his friend. Something so minuscule to Makoto would be ground-breaking for Rin.

Grinding his teeth, he slammed his clenched fits onto the rock, letting out a strangled cry of frustration and pain.

He missed his old life. He missed his friends and how easy everything had felt.

Even breathing was hard in Australia.

Something wet touched his fist.

Jerking away, Rin choked on a yell as he scrambled away from the water just in time to see the creature sink bank into the pool up to its chin. Heart hammering in his ears, Rin wiped his hand on his shorts, keeping his cautious gaze on the thing before him. He was rooted to the flat rock, torn between his instincts to run and to see what the creature did next. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, he slipped his hand into the wrapping and lifted another fish up, showing it to the creature.

"This is ... a peace-offering ... I guess," he murmured, more to fill the silence than anything.

The creature let a watery gurgle trill through its teeth.

"Here." Rin tossed the third fish into the water, feeling a little calmer as he watched the merman guzzle the offering down.

Once all the fish was gone, Rin took a moment to re-evaluate his current position; he was stretched out across the flat rock ledge, the breeze ruffling through his hair. The creature had gotten a little brazen as he'd accepted Rin's fish. He had now raised his arms out of the water and rested carefully at the edge of the rock, a small puddle of water pooling under his opalescent skin.

Now that he was closer, Rin could see the finite details all over the merman's upper body; the pearly skin, the translucent scales -hadn't they been blue before? -the inky mop of hair and the pointed chin, smooth cheeks and blue eyes ... It was eerie how -at some angles -the creature did like Haruka, yet in the next instant it was something else entirely.

"You know you remind me of someone," he found himself saying. He didn't know where the urge to talk had come from. It was as though the words had bubbled up inside him and fallen from his mouth. "Someone I knew back home."

The creature blinked slowly up at him. It still gave off the aura of a docile predator but ... it didn't alarm Rin as much as it had done.

"His name was Haruka ... Well, I called him Haru." He cocked his head to the side, "I guess I could call you that as well. Seeing as you look the same."

The creature lifted it's tail up and lazily flicked water over Rin's legs. It wasn't a lot -a few drops at best -but it was still enough to shock Rin out of the strange sense of security that seemed to bloom through his veins. Was the creature being ... playful? Why now, all of a sudden? After the threats, the teeth-gnashing and the claws -why be playful now? Was it because of the fish? Was it because Rin was showing that he wasn't a threat?

Another bubbly call trilled from the merman's throat.

"My name is Rin ..." he said. Wow, he hadn't done this in a long time. "It's ... It's a -er -it's a girls name. But I'm not a girl! Obviously ..."

Why was he nervous about talking to the merman? Was it because there could easily be others around to eavesdrop? Maybe even people he went to school with?

"I used to live in Japan. I came here to practice swimming. So I could be the best swimmer in the world ..." he trailed off again, his very own dreams seeming stupidly outlandish, even to his own ears. "I guess ... I'm just worried that I never will be as good as Haru. My Haru. The one I left ... behind ..."

The creature reached out and touched the tip of its pointed fingers against Rin's ankle.

He jerked his leg away on instinct.

The creature's skin was cool and scaly. It felt strange.

The gills twitched as Rin pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin upon them. He felt calm as he listened to the soft sounds of the water, the weight of the creatures silent stillness beside his feet as he looked out over the horizon through the crack in the cavern wall.

The sun was getting low. He needed to get home.

"I have to go," he murmured, getting to his feet. His legs felt stiff as blood rushed through them. The creature lifted its head, eyes steadily watching Rin before it slid back into the water. It didn't blink those deep blue eyes. Rin found himself staring and a strange heat flushed his cheeks and neck. "I'll ... er ... Stop by soon. In a few days, I suppose."

He didn't wait for a response. He merely scooped up his new bag, slung it over his shoulder and made for the cave entrance.

 

 

 

On his way home, Rin found his mind wondering back to how empty his life was now that he was no longer in Japan. He missed his friends and he felt so lost. He knew he needed to stop dwelling on the past. It was hard -there wasn't much to his current life in Australia. Sure, he had a new friend in Gemma but what did that amount to? In the grand scheme of things, she would fade into the past as a distant memory, one of those faces in the crowd of his life. So what if he became a great Olympic swimmer, maybe even taking home a gold medal? What did it amount to if people like Haru existed to beat him? What if he never amounted to anything, even when he put his heart and soul into it?

Things like that just came naturally to Haru ... and it was so unfair! Haru didn't care about the Olympics! Why should he get to take life so easily when Rin was the one making all the sacrifices?

Rin stopped, blinking in surprise.

He was ... Home? When had that happened?

He had gotten himself to worked-up and upset that he hadn't realised he'd walked the whole way home, pushing his bike along the road instead of riding it like usual.

"Weird," he murmured as he wheeled the bike into the garage and went inside to join Russell and Lori for dinner.

Later that night, Rin lay in bed idly rubbing his fingers together whilst he listened to music. Winnie was curled up against his ankles and it grounded him a little. His fingers and palms felt strange, as though the imprint of the creature's flesh was electrically charged and pulsing through his skin.

It hadn't been terrible with the creature.

Maybe a little bit of fish really did go a long way.

 

 

 

 

~0~

 

 

 

 

Thursday afternoon found Rin rushing down to the beach with freshly wrapped fish from the market.

He'd stopped off as soon as school had let-out. It was his first evening off from training practice and -though his legs ached a little -he wasn't about to sit down and rest. Not until he got to the cave at least.

The cool, salty air was refreshing to his sun-kissed skin as he made his way over to the ledge and settled down. The stone was cool through his shorts but he didn't mind. The fish didn't smell as strong now that he was surrounded by the cave and seawater. Dropping it down beside him, Rin unlaced his trainers and pulled his socks off. Training was all well and good but in this heat it was suffocating and made him sweat profusely.

Flexing his toes, Rin scooted over to the edge of the stone and let his legs hover over the water. Just being near the lapping waves was refreshing.

"Are you there?" he called out, voice echoing softly around him. There was no immediate reply but Rin wasn't put out by that. Not like he usually was. "I've brought some fish!" He reached out into the paper parcel and pulled out one of the smaller mackerels and threw it into the pool several feet away.

It landed with a faint 'plop'.

From his back pocket Rin pulled out a chocolate bar. He'd lost track of time far too often to not have come prepared this time. It was only when he'd gone for the second chocolate in his bag did he hear the water stir a little more forcefully. He felt his insides jump when he saw the top of the creature's head staring unblinking, over the edge of the rock.

"Shit, you scared me!" he gasped. The creature blinked its eyes down at the damp parcel in Rins lap. Following its gaze, the teen smiled awkwardly. "You want me to feed you?"

Some bubbles popped between them.

"Fine," Rin grinned. He opened the parcel and drew out another fish. Holding it high between them he said, "Catch!"

The creature leapt up, swallowing the fish easily in one gulp, his scaly lips brushing against Rin's fingertips. It felt weird. That didn't stop the teen from doing it again. All too soon the fish had been eaten and the merman had spat up a handful of bones onto a nearby rock. Rin had grimaced at the choking noises but hadn't wanted to interrupt.

"Feeling better?" he asked once the creature glided back through the water and propped itself up on the rocky ledge, the coolness emanating from its wet arms. The merman blinked slowly before leaning his head down against his crossed arms. Rin felt his fingers twitch. He wanted to touch the slick coolness but didn't want to risk those long teeth and nails ripping him apart.

"I got an email from my friends last night. The ones in Japan," he spoke freely, feeling a little relieved knowing that the merman wouldn't -couldn't -blab to anyone. "They're doing well but ... I don't feel as though we're friends anymore. I feel like we've drifted apart too much. Like, if I went back there I'd just be 'that guy' they used to swim with."

He hated how much that reality hurt, even in his own head.

"It doesn't help that I have nothing new to really say to them. I can't tell them about you. They wouldn't really understand. They'd think the sun's gone to my head."

The water lapped gently.

It was calming.

"They haven't mentioned Haru in a while," he murmured. "I keep thinking that maybe something has happened to him. He doesn't really respond to my emails and now he's vanishing from there's. It's like he doesn't exist anymore. It's making me paranoid."

A soft gurgling issues from the creature's throat.

Rin huffed a smile. "What can I say? Being alone has never been easy for me." Glancing at the creature staring up at him, he said, "I suppose you must get quite lonely too, right?"

The creature trilled quietly, the long, filmy gills twitching on either side of its head.

Rin stared into the beast’s bright eyes. He felt a subtle pull on his body -as though he was suddenly aching to go for a swim. A swim with the creature. Hopping up to his feet -making the creature lurch and hiss at the sudden movement -Rin made short work of shedding his shirt and shorts before inching to the edge of the flat rock.

The water was a refreshing explosion as he dove into the pool.

The rush of the water in his ears and up his nose was sharp and cool but it helped to drown out the pressing thoughts in his head. The rush of something else diving into the water alongside him. Something brushed against his legs -something scaly and quick -and it startled Rin to the point of propelling himself skyward from the sandy seabed. He coughed as he floated, his head just hovering over the water as it sloshed against his cheeks.

The creature's face broke through the water, closer than Rin had expected.

"Sorry," he said, treading water. "Didn't mean to startle you."

Blue slitted eyes blinked slowly.

Rin gasped and shuddered as long, scaly hands touched up along his arms as he worked to keep his head above water. He swallowed thickly as he felt the creature's tail brushing and curling lazily against his legs. It drifted closer. Rin was suddenly aware at what a vulnerable position he was in, in that moment. A tremor of fear thrummed in his chest. He could feel the smooth underbelly of the merman as his face inched nearer.

A swift tug of his arms drew Rin right against the merman's firm chest. He gasped, inhaling the sharp salty tang clinging to the creature. The grip on his arm was firm as Rin struggled to keep his head up.

"W-what're you doing?" he panted softly, his legs kicking. "I can't swim if you cling onto me."

The merman narrowed his eyes before slowly extracting his hand from Rin's arm. It was easier to tread-water then, and he hovered in one spot before his bright eyes fell upon the frothing waves at the cracked mouth of the cave. Water sloshed in and fizzled out into choppier waves beyond. He was tempted -very tempted -to swim beyond the cave's borders. Everything inside him was screaming for him to dive below the depths and swim out into the open waters but ... Something held him back.

Drawing in a smooth, long breath Rin dipped below the surface and sank through the open blue.

He could just about make out the length of the creature's pearly blue scaly tail and the filmy fins that disappeared beneath them. It was oddly beautiful. Resurfacing, Rin rubbed salt water from his eyes and grimaced as his nose ran. He pinched his nose and coughed a little. It had been a long time since he had properly swam in the sea.

Blinking water out of his eyes, Rin looked at the creature just in time to see the merman slither down into the water, facing Rin the entire time. He gasped and kicked harder to keep his head up as he felt the long hands rushing over his hips, gripping down his knees and feeling over his shins. It was strange and scary and exciting all at the same time.

He panicked when the hands tightened around his ankles and tugged him down.

He spluttered, heart pounding as the creature released him and resurfaced, its thin pale lips twitching up at the corners. Was the merman ...  _playing_  with him?

' _Playing  with me or playing with me?_' he thought.

His mind didn't have time to process the dilemma before he was tugged back under -a little deeper this time -and released.

Smiling a little, Rin kept his eyes on the merman before he slipped under the water, grabbed the creature by the waist, and tugged him down. They barely went two feet under the waves before Rin released the startled creature. Back above the waves, Rin let out a bright laugh as the creature shook water from his eyes before glowering up at him.

"Sorry!" Rin gushed, treading water and shaking wet hair from his eyes. "But that's what you get for dunking me!"

Just like that, a challenge was born.

By the time the sun was hanging low in the sky and Rin no longer felt safe being tugged down into the ink-blue water, he lazily swam over to the edge of the deep pool and propped his elbows up on the smooth stone his belongings sat on. He rested his head on his folded arms and drew in long, deep breaths. His heart was thrumming in his ears as the sound of the water whispered around him.

The creature's cool scaly body slithered up alongside him.

"I need to get going," he found himself saying.

The creature just blinked, mirroring Rin's position on the ledge.

"I had fun, though," he added.

He shivered as he felt the creature's long tail wrap around the nearest leg. Rin offered a tired smile before sighing and prepping himself to climb out. The creature released his tail and watched steadily as Rin lifted himself out, turned and sat himself on the edge of the stone. He hadn't brought a towel with him which meant his clothes were semi-soaked instantly as he clawed on his socks and trainers.

Sweeping his wet hair out of his eyes, Rin glanced at his watch -a waterproof one he'd gotten for Christmas from Russell -and grimaced. It was past 6PM. "Sorry," he murmured to the odd creature. "I have to go. I'll come back as soon as I can."

Would he? Why was he promising to come back? Did he even want to come back? Yes he did -but why?

Shaking the thoughts side, Rin shouldered his bag and kept turning back to look at the creature as he walked back towards the entrance to the cave. The merman stayed in place, propped up on the rocky ledge, his blue eyes glued on Rin until the very last moment. Rin turned when he had just reached the mouth of the cave and felt his stomach clench.

The creature was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? Was the wait worth it?


	5. Part 4

**_~0~_ **

**_Part 4_ **

**_~0~_ **

 

 

 

 

Rin stumbled as he staggered down the steep path from the top of the cliff, hastily kicking up clouds of sand as he made his way towards the cave. He'd gone back there almost every other day, insisting to Lori and Russell that he was hanging out with some friends from work. Now that he had a part-time job it made the lie more convincing.

He hated lying at all -but there was no way he could tell them the truth.

Skidding a little on the damp pebbles, Rin called out into the gloomy cave. "Hey Haru! Sorry I'm late!"

He couldn't remember when he'd started to call the creature 'Haru' but it seemed to come across a lot easier than calling it anything else. It just seemed to  _fit_. It didn't help that he was convinced the creature looked more and more like Haru every time he went down to visit.

By the time Rin got to the rock he usually sat on, he was surprised to see that there was no sign of 'Haru'. Not yet. It was unusual but not rare. Sometimes it took a while. Since it was a nice day, Rin had worn his swimming trunks especially. Shedding the rest of his clothes, he kicked off his shoes into the sand and stretched up on the rocky ledge, before diving headfirst into the pool.

The water was cool from the shade and refreshing on his over-heated body. It really did get ridiculously hot in Australia.

He let himself sink low into the water, shuddering a little as his body climatised.

He wasn't the biggest fan of swimming in the sea; it was just one of those things that had far too many con's compared to pro's. However, in the little pool he was happy to glide around, diving deeper and deeper until he grazed the bottom before pushing back up to the surface. It was the only other way he'd thought he could bond properly with the creature. There was only so much fish he could afford, even with his new part-time job.

He'd been drawn down to the cave, like a pull at the back of his spine, considering how things were starting to wobble towards a downward spiral.

His grades was skewed a little -still all high A's but with at least two C's thrown in. Now, Lori and Russell weren't really the sort of people to care too much about that. They were menial tests, barely giving anything towards his over-all grade of the year. However, he'd also come dangerously close to dropping down to the second -or even third! -swimming time on his team. The only reason the latter hadn't happened, was because Rin had to think fast and ended up faking a horrid cramp.

They'd restarted the race, and Rin had come first, thankfully.

However, his coach had still warned him that he'd need to tell Russell.

That had been a tense drive home. Russell had told Rin that he wasn't mad at him, but this was an opportunity that not a lot of boys' his age ever got, and he needed to start treating it with a little more gravity. Rin had sulked, something completely out-of-character for himself, and had gone to his room as soon as he'd eaten his small dinner.

That had been two weeks ago.

Things were still tilted a little more than normal, but for the most part Rin had kept everything afloat. However, it was draining on his emotions and mentality a lot. Worse than when he'd first come over from Japan. He'd been tempted to write to Makoto but he'd stopped himself before hitting 'SEND'. He didn't want to worry his friends, not when they had end-of-year exams coming up.

Instead, 'Haru' listened to him. Or at least humoured him.

Rin even had a small assortment of seashells lined up on his windowsill that the creature had found for him. Winnie still sniffed at it warily from time-to-time, but she'd stopped barking at random twinkling lights. There'd be a time or two when Rin would wake up, restless and aching and dehydrated -as though his body craved water -only to find Winnie lying over his stomach, her face watching the window with her ears pressed flat to her head. It took a lot of ear scratches to settle her back down.

 

 

Something snatched at his ankle, jolting Rin out of his musings.

Pushing back up to the surface, he choked on the salty water just as the creature's head appeared, large eyes blinking slowly. Rin scowled and splashed at it. "Don't do that!" he grunted. "One of these days you're going to drown me!"

If the creature knew how to roll its eyes, Rin was sure it'd do it constantly.

Gliding over to the rocky ledge, Rin swivelled to sit on a low-rising rock, smoothed by moss and seaweed, and leaned forward. 'Haru' drew closer, leaning so that his shoulders and head were positioned between Rin's knees. It was oddly close and intimate, something Rin had to fight blushing over. It had happened the last two times he'd visited. A part of him was uncomfortable, since he still didn't fully understand what the creature  _was_ , but another, quieter, part of his brain trilled out that this was fantastic!

Not only was he up-close with a strange merman, but he was also swimming and communicating with the creature. He was literally living every tween girls fantasy.

"I'm sorry I don't have any fish for you today," he said before realising that words had left his mouth. The creature blinked, head tilting to the side. Rin shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't have the money. I can only buy so much fish before my mu -er -Lori finds out where all my wages are going."

The creature gurgled something harried and nudged at Rin's shin like an impatient puppy.

_Like Winnie._

Rin reached out with a hesitant hand before scratching the creature awkwardly behind the filmy ear. A trilling sound filled the air as the bulbous eyes closed and it tilted into Rin's touch. "You like that, eh?" he couldn't help but smile as the creature pulled itself higher and higher on the ledge, tilting its chin to its chest so Rin could gently scratch along his back where flesh met scales. "You're a very strange creature."

"St -st -str-a-a-a-"

Rin froze at the sound. "Are -are you trying to  _speak_?"

Haru bobbed his head, his tongue sounding thick and swollen in his mouth as he choked on words. "Str-a-a-a-n-ge ..." He let out a loud gasp that made Rin jump. "Str-ange ..."

Rin chewed on his lip, swinging his legs back and forth in the water on either side of the creatures body. "I don't think you're strange," he finally said. "I mean, like, I did at first. Cause you are a little strange. I don't think so anymore, though."

The creature frowned, tilting its head.

"Well, we're friends now, right?"

Another tilt.

"I like coming here to talk to you," Rin continued. "You always listen and, as far as I know, you don't seem to judge me. I like that in a person -or whatever you really are."

Gurgle.

"Everything just seems up in the air at the moment. Lori seems to disapprove of me vanishing all the time, that's why I've not been here as often as I'd like. I'd be here every day if I could." He sighed and raked a damp hand through his hair. It smelled faintly of fish but the smell no longer made his stomach churn. "Russell seems to be concerned but doesn't say much. I think he thinks it's a 'phase' of the stress of exams or something."

A wet palm on his thigh sent a shiver running down his spine.

"I could easily tell them where I really go. Who I'm really seeing. I just know they'd make me stop if they  _really_  knew." His chest tightened at the thought. He glanced down to see deep eyes watching him carefully. "I don't want to stop coming here, though. You're my only real friend, as sad as that sounds." He let out a humourless laugh. "I can't really imagine not coming down here at least once a week. Whenever I do have to stay away, it's like there's this urge forcing me to come back here. Like I can't breathe properly until I'm back in this cave."

It was strange how easy it felt to say those words.

It was like a weight had lifted from his shoulders.

Haru nudges his thigh with his cool, flat face.

"Oh, you want me to come and swim with you?"

Gurgle.

"Are you sure?"

A sharp trill, gills flaring slightly in agitation. If mermen could have resting bitch-face he was sure this one did.

Rin chuckled, "Alright. I was getting bored of my own voice anyway." Sliding off the rocky ledge, he almost slipped as his feet pressed flat against the mossy pool-bed. Wading into deeper water, Rin eventually let himself float in the gently lapping water and gracefully glided along towards the mouth of the cave, the creature lazily swimming on its back. It looked so effortless, so stream-line that Rin couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.

If he'd been a merman there'd be no question in his competence on the swim team.

Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, Rin focused on his breast-stroke, letting his head remain above water as he worked his arms and legs in tandem.

To feel the weight of the merman swimming alongside him was strange and comforting. Rin couldn't remember the last time he had swum side-by-side with anyone. Being in a competition setting, even training for a relay-race, didn't really allow him to swim alongside his teammates. They had to go in one at a time. It was very strange but there was comfort to be taken from it.

"So where are you going to take me today?" Rin asked as he tread-water a good distance out from the beach.

The merman stopped and circled back, flicking water from his hair as he broke the surface. He made a series of low trills that tickled Rin's insides. Rin frowned, obviously not understanding. The creature deadpanned him before grabbing his wrist and tugging it downwards.

"Ah," Rin felt his stomach drop. "We're going under."

A nod.

"For a long time?"

A pause before a shrug. Long for the merman could mean death for Rin.

"Is it longer than the last time?" Rin asked sternly.

That last time had been an attempt to swim -what felt like -around half of Australia to get to another, small beach island. Rin had given up halfway, swallowing far too much sea water and vomiting into the sea. The creature had not been pleased but had understood that it was far too far for his human companion. That would need to change, it decided, but not yet. Eventually, the creature had allowed Rin to half-hang off his back as he returned him back to their cave. It had been enough adventure for one day.

Haru drew in a deep breath, gills flaring a bit.

"N ... n-no ..."

Rin's breath hitched a little.

"Okay. Show me."

 

 

 

~0~

 

 

 

It did take a while to get there. Rin wasn't sure exactly how long they'd been swimming before but he did know he'd been taken down so deep that the pressure had almost gotten too much for him but he had persevered, keeping his eye on the hazy shadow of Haru propelling himself through the water ahead of him. He wasn't heartless though. He had circled back to a slower pace, showing Rin that he was doing well, encouraging him as he swept his tail, creating a stronger current.

When they'd finally stopped and broken the surface, Rin's heart lurched at the total blackness he was in.

It was a low roofed cave.

The water was close to freezing as Rin stumbled along towards the gritty banks. Haru lingered in the low water, the spiney gills flaring up from his back. Apparently even mermen got cold sometimes.

Hunching over his knees, Rin let his eyes adjust as he coughed and inhaled the damp, salty air deeply. It really was far too cold despite the rest of the world lingering in a heatwave. It was hard to believe it was daytime beyond those rocky walls. It was only when his eyes finally adjusted that Rin saw why Haru had brought him to this place.

It was a crystal cave!

"Oh wow!" Rin gasped, twisting in his seat to look at the shimmering rocks jutting out from the walls. Apparently he was sat on the only non-crystal rock in the entire cave.

Haru watched as the human swivelled around, even reached up to tentatively touch a small hoard of crystals near his shoulder. They were sharp, and gleamed a soft, pearly purple colour in the dim light. It was interesting to watch. The merman couldn't fault Rin's touching; he knew that he himself had the same urge for anything shiny.

"This place is beautiful," Rin finally murmured, making the creature refocus on him. "Thank you for bringing me here."

Haru let out a gruff little gurgle before slinking lower into the water. It barely reached his chin, even when he pressed himself flat against the pool-bed.

Rin was happy to remain in the cave, letting his body slowly get used to the chilly air that circulated in the cave. It was cool, calm and quiet -something that his life on land had seemed to be missing for a while. He couldn't remember the last time his mind had felt to  _quiet_. With the way things had been with school, his exchange-parents and everyone he loved back home in Japan -it was almost as though he'd over-estimated how brave he could be.

He was just a kid to so many people.

In those quiet moments in the dead of night, he definitely felt like one.

However, when he was with Haru -this other Haru -it was like life started to make a little more sense. It was like he somehow quashed the stress and the panic just by being near.

Haru furrowed his brow as he stared up at Rin.

The noise of the creature shuffling about, disturbing the water, made Rin frown down at him trying to peer through the darkness to see what he was doing. He seemed to be digging around for something in the soggy sand, long, pale nails digging away and scraping against the rock. The sound set Rin's teeth on edge.

"What're you doing?" he finally asked, his voice echoing.

Haru growled quietly, tail thrashing in agitation until -finally -he tugged something free.

Something hard and cold was pressed into Rin's palm. It was a crystal. It was such a strange, unique colour. Not pearly or purple like the rest of the crystals that seemed to fill the cave. No, this one was a deep turquoise, almost like the sight of the sky on the clearest, hottest day of the year. Rin stared down at his palm, his mouth agape as he wrapped his fingers around it.

"It's beautiful," he finally said, pressing it against his chest. He slid the crystal into his pocket, shifting at the extra weight. He sighed, shoulders sagging. There was no way to tell time but he felt as though time was pressing on. "Maybe we should be heading back."

Haru's expression was blank.

Then he huffed and gestured for Rin to follow him back in the water.

It was cold and sharp, stealing Rin's breath from his body as he waded in, careful not to bang his head on the ceiling.

Taking a deep breath, they slid into the water once again.

By the time they arrived at the cave where all of Rin's stuff was stashed, the sky was darkening to a deep indigo colour. Rin had kicked his legs as fast as he could, but it didn't make any difference. As he hauled himself up onto the ledge and drew in deep, ragged breaths, he dragged his bag over to him and fished his phone out of the side pocket.

17 missed calls.

21 messages.

"Shit!" he cursed, spitting salt water out of his mouth. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

Haru frowned up at him.

"I'm sorry!" he gushed as he clawed his clothes onto his wet skin. "I have to go! My parents have gone ape-shit!" He slung his bag over his shoulder. "I'll be back soon, okay? I promise!"

Without another word he staggered out of the cave on his aching legs, the bones wavering inside, and made his way towards the steep slope that would lead him back up the cliff and closer to home.

The creature watched as Rin scarpered away. Had he scared him? He looked awfully frightened but he wasn't entirely sure why. Whatever had happened, Rin had freaked out and run-off. He didn't look scared of  _him_  though, when he'd said he'd return. At least the merman understood that part. Rin would be back. He always came back.

 

 

 

~0~

 

 

 

"WE CALLED THE POLICE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW THAT LOOKS?!"

"Lori, we need to be calm about this. He came back, the worst is over."

"THE WORST IS NOT OVER, RUSSELL!" she snapped, "WHAT IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN? EVER SINCE HE STARTED THAT JOB HE'S BEEN NEGLECTING HIS WORK! HIS SWIM PRACTICES! HIS GRADES SLIPPED!"

"Lori, love, I was just as worried as you, but yelling isn't going to help anyone."

"HE VANISHED RUSSELL!"

"And now he's back."

"WHAT IF HE DOESN'T COME BACK NEXT TIME?"

"We need to trust that he does."

Lori looked between both of them and threw her hands up in the air. "You talk to him!" she snapped. "I'm taking Winnie for a walk."

Russell waited until the front door had slammed shut before turning to Rin. The teen had curled up into a corner of the sofa, clearly terrified that he'd scared his exchange-parents so much that it'd warrant a call to the police and panic attacks. He hadn't realised how far he'd gone or how long it had taken to get back to the mainland. He'd let a tear slip out as Lori had yelled at him. He never cried, not really. Or at least, not in front of people. Scaring Lori had clearly been the step too far.

He clutched a pillow against him as though it was his life-line.

"Rin, I need you to answer some things for me honestly, okay?"

Russell had never sounded so distant and calm. It made Rin feel sick to his stomach. He gave a shaky nod.

"Good. Now, were you out late because you were taking drugs?"

"What?!" Rin exploded, tears springing to his eyes. "No, no, no! I don't take drugs!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Russell, I promise! I would never!"

Russell watched him for a long time before nodding. "Okay, I believe you." That should have let Rin relax but if anything he tensed up more. "Now, were you out drinking alcohol?"

"No! I promise I don't drink OR do drugs!"

"Well you didn't smell like either, but it's for my peace of mind. You understand that right?"

" ... I guess."

"Were you off seeing a girlfriend?"

Rin frowned. "Russell I don't know any girls."

"What about that one you work with?"

"Gemma?" Rin felt as though his forehead was going to crack. "No she's just my friend. And like -six years older than me!"

"Rin, you have to understand if you don't tell us where you go all this time, we have to start asking questions like this."

"But -but I didn't do anything wrong!" he tore at his hair. "I'm sorry I didn't call and let you know I would be late, but I lost track of time!"

"Then what were you off doing, son?" Russell asked, leaning forward in the armchair. "We're just worried about you, Rin. You've been very distant lately and it's hard for us, especially Lori. She just wants to help you figures things out, we both do."

Rin nodded mutely. He didn't even know what was wrong so there were no real words to explain anything.

"I ... I just went swimming ..."

"Down at the beach?"

He nodded.

"Rin it's not safe to do that alone!" Russell swiped a hand down his face. "Thank God you're safe, but Rin, I'm sorry, but you cannot do that anymore. Not unless you go with someone so we know that you're safe." Rin bristled at that. It must have showed on his face because Russell's shoulders tensed. "I know you don't like it but that's how it stands."

"You don't want me to swim?"

"I want you to swim," Russell said, his tone clipped. "At your swim practice. The whole reason you moved to Australia."

A tense, stifling silence stretched out between them.

"I didn't think I'd have to do this, not with you," he said shaking his head. "Rin you're grounded. For one month; you go to school and back, I drive you to practice and back. Lori will meet you after work and bring you home. Internet for homework only and no phone inside the house. Are we clear?"

Rin was on his feet in an instant, all the suppressed emotions flaring up in a hot ball of fire. "THAT'S SO UNFAIR!" he snapped. "I WAS LATE HOME ONE TIME!"

Russell kept eye contact, his jaw set. "You're grounded Rin. That's final. Now go to your room. Lori will bring you a snack later."

Rin was thrumming with anger and everything else distressed inside him. He clenched his fists, shaking as he tried to control himself. Eventually he turned away so that Russell couldn't see any of the tears running down his cheeks. Cuffing his nose he hurriedly stormed up to his room -stomping loudly on every stair as he went and slamming the door loudly just to drive the point home.

He was pissed -and alone now more than ever.

About an hour or so later Lori did come up and bring him some sandwiches. She didn't say a word as she looked at him. Rin tugged his hood lower over his face and turned away to face the wall. Lori let out a soft sigh and retreated from the bedroom, shutting the door softly behind her.

And so his imprisonment began.

 

 

 

~0~

 

 

 

One whole month.

That was a long time not to see Haru.

With each passing day Rin felt as though everything good and happy inside him was being stretched like an elastic band, growing tighter and tighter. Soon it would snap. Being stuck in the house he was reminded of everything he was failing at, everything he struggled with. His thick Japanese to English dictionary seemed to interchange the meanings and descriptions around every other day.

He felt as though he had stumbled in life and didn't know how to get back up again.

He tried so hard not to resent his parents, but it was no easy task. They wanted him to do his homework at the island counter in the kitchen. It was their excuse to watch him although they insisted it was to help him since his grades and dipped by a minute fraction. He'd gotten them back up almost instantly but apparently that didn't matter.

It was embarrassing having Lori pick him up after work.

He had explained the situation to Gemma so at least she didn't make fun of him. She e-mailed him in the evenings -even though he technically wasn't meant to do that unless it was homework related -but even that line of communication was feeling too taxing to his brain. He just wanted to go down to the beach and swim with Haru. That was all he'd ever wanted. Why was that so wrong?

Sighing, Rin raked a hand through his hair and glared down at his mathematics homework. Numbers used to make sense to him, but even now these numbers wavered and rippled over the page as though he'd dropped stones into a pond. He tossed his pen down and groaned into his folded arms. What was going on with him? Everything seemed to stifle him. The only comfort he was able to garner was when he was having a bath -with the door unlocked just in case -or a shower. There had even been a brief moment when he'd gotten caught in a sprinkler.

Water comforted him.

It was a relief to a degree that he still got to go to swim practice, but it didn't hold the same allure as it used to.

He wanted to be invisible and one with the waves, like he was down at the beach, not this controlled chaotic being tearing through water as though it were something to be conquered. Water was a patient beast awaiting its prey. It could not be tamed. People thought it could be but Rin knew, and had felt, the truth. He'd experienced the truth of it all.

With Haru.

He glared at the small calendar propped up on his desk.

He had one more week of being grounded. The time had definitely NOT flown by, as Russell had attempted to promise more than a week ago. He wasn't even sure if he wanted that freedom anymore. It hadn't really stifled his life, except for not texting Gemma sometimes and not returning Makoto's latest e-mail and not going down to the beach to swim with the merman.

In that moment it dawned on him like a shot of cold water.

He didn't really have anything to live for.

Eventually, his time with Russell and Lori would be over once he returned to Japan.

Gemma would move-on and would also slowly fade from his life. Whether that was before or after he returned to Japan he didn't know. What he did know, was that it was inevitable.

The only thing he was sure might remain in his life was Haru.

Just thinking about the merman did things to ease the jittery fear struggling inside of him. He closed his eyes with the windows open at night, and trailed his nails light over his skin, imaging it was the creature's scales as though he was swimming alongside him. It was rhythmic and strengthening. However, the illusion crashed quicker and quicker as soon as he'd wake up in the morning.

Mornings themselves had lost any form of allure.

He regularly skipped breakfast, barely downing a cup of tea on his way out to school.

He ate less and less at meal times to the point that -at the monthly weigh-in at swim practice -he'd lost seven pounds. The coach had frowned at this and noted that Rin looked tired and stated that he needed to take better care of himself as nationals for their age group was coming up in a few months. That knowledge was harrowing to Rin, as he stared at his reflection later that evening. He  _had_  lost some weight, the circles under his eyes did look darker and his hair hung in lank, lifeless curtains around his face.

It was like anything remotely positive was being leeched from his life.

He couldn't help but feel like this was some sort of withdrawal. Yet -what did he have to withdraw from? His roaring social-life? His sex life? His hardcore drug habit?

None of those things were real.

The only thing that had been real was when he had been swimming freely with that damned merman.

"Maybe I just really miss him in general?" he pondered out loud as he stared up at his ceiling one night. Everyone else had gone to bed, and Winnie had eventually padded to his bedroom door, whimpering quietly to be let in for her cuddles. It had taken the last of Rin's strength to stagger to the door and let her in. She'd clambered up onto the bed and was now nestled against his chest.

He couldn't even take comfort in her warmth anymore -and that broke his heart.

"Maybe I belong in the sea?" He scoffed instantly at the thought. That sort of nonsense only happened in the movies. Something flashed against the far wall.

_Blink. Blink. Blink._

Rin frowned, wriggled carefully up to frown out of his window, Winnie sticking against his chest.

_Blink. Blink. Blink._

Was that ...?

"Haru?" he breathed, setting Winnie on his bed and leaning against the window sill, peering in the direction of the cliffs as much as he could. He frowned, trying to remember the brief Morse Code he'd practised weeks ago.

 

 

**.-. .. -.**

 

 

"Rin?" He felt the breath escape his lungs. "He's signalling for me?"

Did he need Rin to come back? Was he in trouble? Did he need help with something?

All thought and logic deserted his mind as he swung his legs off the edge of the bed. He pulled on a pair of bottoms and a shirt -having only worn his boxers to bed -and stuffed his bare feet into his trainers. He swiped his phone off the bedside table, and leaned down to give Winnie a cuddle and a kiss on the head. She stirred but didn't wake up.

Slipping his phone into his pocket, Rin cast one last glance around his bedroom, his eyes lingering on the crystal on his windowsill, and left.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for how long it took me to update but I hope it was worth it! x


	6. Part 5

**_~0~_ **

_**Part 5** _

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The muggy night air was suffocating as Rin ran down the main roads.

It was 3:37AM -not quite dawn just yet despite the sky turning a shade lighter than pitch black -and it upset Rin greatly that night-time no longer equalled cold air and feeling refreshed. As he staggered along on his quaking legs, he tried to stop himself from sobbing. He'd cried himself dry earlier, so any amount of sobbing would have caused him pain.

It was quite a way to run -or stagger -on foot. Rin hadn't really paid attention. He was used to coming this way on his bike. Should he go back? Just tiptoe back into bed and cuddle Winnie tight and hope that she could absorb all his pain, isolation and all his loneliness? ' _No_ ,' he thought. ' _Even though she was just a pup she'd done so much for him_.'

He forced himself to go on.

It was only when he reached the top of the cliff that the sudden sound through the thick silence coming from the waves crashing and rolling together, hit him. It was wonderful. It was high tide so there would be no beach for him to walk along and the cave would most likely be submerged, not completely, but deep enough. He wasn't even sure if he'd fine the entrance even if there had been a sandy path to walk on. Drawing in a deep breath, Rin staggered along the cliff's edge scanning the choppy waters. There it was!

The pier!

There were a few small boats tied up alongside it but that wasn't what Rin was looking for. As he picked his way down the cliff, slipping and sliding on the steep, gritty path, he caught himself once or twice having lost his footing. His body was hot and sticky with sweat. He just needed to make it down to the pier and he'd be fine. He had time, there was no real rush. He could just see his goal and wanted desperately to reach it.

When his feet slid down onto level ground, he felt relief rush through him. ' _Right_ ,' he thought, ' _That's the hard part over_.'

The wooden planks creaked heavily as Rin hurried along on unsteady legs towards the end of it. Raising his hands to his mouth he called out, "HARU! HARU!" His voice echoed out, carrying over the rolling, black waves. It was like he was shouting into the void. "HARU!" he yelled, his throat growing hoarse. "I NEED YOU HARU!"

The silence that followed was harrowing.

A chill ran down his spine.

What if Haru didn't come back? What if this was the one time he couldn't come? Fear twisted inside his gut like a snake. What if he didn't come? Why wouldn't he come, after all this time? He let his arms fall so that he could wrap them around his midriff and shudder. It wasn't that he was cold. It was more of the realisation that he was completely and utterly alone that burrowed it's way, into his heart like a worm.

Another shiver ran through him.

' _I can't do it anymore_ ,' he thought as a stray tear raced down his clammy cheek. ' _I really_ really _can't_.'

Digging his phone out of his pocket he quickly tapped out a message to Russell, Lori, Gemma and Makoto. It was just a simple message, nothing to warrant any bad feelings in any of them. He just wanted to make sure that they knew what he was thinking, just in case his phone died. He hadn't charged it during the night.

' _I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. Things have just gotten on top of me. I love you xox_ '

He pressed send.

He started to undress, starting with the trainers, socks and jeans. By the time he was left standing in his boxers, he had everything folded up into a hazardous little pile on the edge of the pier.

 

 

 

The water was freezing cold as he dropped down through it, like a hot knife through butter. It took his breath away and nearly made him gasp out under the water.

It was strange having the ground disappear from under him.

He was sinking down through the darkness, the cold filling every orifice.

There was no light, no shimmering silver scales in the far distance he felt nothing except the cold water and the temperature dropping and heard nothing save for the rush of his own blood. He really had dropped into the void.

The cold seemed to seep through into his brain.

It made him sleepy ...

Something moved. The black on black shadows rippled and swayed, the weight of an unknown presence circling closer. Rin knew he should kick, should swim, but he felt too limp and exhausted to even twitch a toe.

Something strong and scaly touched him. Rin frowned at the sensation. Then he felt something like fingers curl around his arms and something thick and powerful propelling him up through the water.

Rin gasped out as his face shot out of the waves, coughing and spluttering. Something firm was keeping him afloat. Blinking the sea water out of his eyes, Rin choked and sniffled, feeling pathetic, as the moonlight shone down on Haru's pale features. "Haru?" he breathed. His hands found the merman's solid body and shoulders through the cold water. His fingers were almost numb -How was it so cold? "You c-c-came?"

Dark eyes blinked slowly.

Arms circled around Rin's stomach, drawing their bodies closer.

"I w-was so sc-scared you wouldn't c-come ..." he trailed off, letting his chin drop into the waves. He hoisted himself up, clinging to the creature as though he were Rin's life-line. Wet fingers threaded through his soaked hair.

The strong muscles of Haru's tail wound around his left leg easily, keeping them both afloat. Rin felt his bottom lip tremble. The waves made the dark blue eyes before him ripple. "I'm sorry!" he gasped out, his head bobbing down below the water. Haru was quick to prop him back up again. "I'm sorry I'm not strong enough!"

Haru tilted his head.

"I don't mean about swimming!" Rin managed. "I -I just can't keep going on! I'm not -I'm n-not cut out for this!"

Wrapping a firm arm around Rin, Haru drew the young human closer so that their bare chests were touching. It was an odd sensation, something he hadn't grown used to, as he wiped the hot, salty tears away with his cool, wet hands. He didn't need the little human to cry, not when he'd finally gotten him to this state of mind. He would be safe, here, without the worries of the rest of the world.

Leaning closer, Haru trilled a strange noise into Rin's ear instantly calming his erratic breathing and twitching limbs -most likely brought on by the cold water. There was barely any fight left in the poor thing anyway. Rin wrapped his arms around the merman's shoulders, clinging a little tighter, warmth ebbing back through his muscles. Feeling came back into his fingers and toes. The cramps he'd gotten in his stomach and the squeezing sensation of his skull brought on by his emotional breakdown seemed to slowly smooth away, too.

He floated back a little, keeping his legs wrapped loosely around Haru's hips -or where his hips would have been.

"You know, no one really understood me like you do," Rin murmured, the soft lapping of the waves no longer making his teeth chatter or his lips tremble. It was as though Haru's appearance had caused the earth's temperature to rise. "You don't judge me, you're always there when I needed to vent or cry and, as far as I know, you never swam off and told anyone."

Haru blinked slowly.

He'd done none of those things. He was a loner himself and preferred to keep it that way. He had been curious about Rin, though. Curious how a creature so different could be so similar.

"Thank you for being my friend," Rin smiled.

It wasn't his usual smile; this one trembled on his lips, as though he couldn't quite believe it was happening at all.

Rin felt a tremor run through him.

He often felt as though Haru wasn't entirely real. Not just because he was an actual merman -a creature up until last year he hadn't ever believed, let alone seen proof of its existence -however, it was also due to the fact that now the creature was a carbon-copy of Haru. At least -the Haru that Rin remembered from his childhood and the few photos Makoto had sent to him.

It was almost as though the creature had mimicked his memories ... but how?

Shaking his head, he sighed. It didn't matter. None of it mattered. What mattered now was that the creature  _did_  look like Haru and even seemed to  _act_  like Haru, and that was all Rin wanted to -no - _needed_  to focus on.

The moon was hanging low in the sky.

Rin frowned up at it. "I guess I should probably head back," he finally said. He didn't want to leave, not yet. Another week or so was going to drag like an eternity, and even after his grounding was over, he knew that Russell would insist on driving him everywhere which meant he probably wouldn't get to see Haru for a very long time.

Haru helped him to cope with life.

He didn't want to think of life without him.

Rin bit down on his lip. Turning in the merman's grip, he reached up for the pier and started to hoist himself up. Haru, alarmed, grabbed at Rin's ankle and tugged him back down. He dropped into the water, coughing a little as he spat up seat water and glared up at the creature. "What was that for? I t-told you I have to go."

Haru shook his head, gripping Rin's wrist and gliding back a little.

Rin clung onto the slippery wood of the pier. "Haru, come on. Look, I don't like it either but I promise to come back, okay?"

Haru hissed, something he hadn't done for ages.

Rin frowned up at the creature, noticing how the Haru-mask seemed to slip a fraction. For a brief moment, the angry, hostile creature he'd first encountered in the cave flashed through -or maybe that was just a trick of the moonlight? Of course it was. It had to be. Reaching up, Rin placed his hands over the filmy gills and stroked the scaly skin until it lay flat, smooth and glowed white once again.

There. His Haru was back.

"Don't get upset," he tried to reason. "It won't be long. You know I always come back."

The creature narrowed its eyes and tugged Rin's hands off its face before jerking his head towards the stretch of sea before them. Haru wanted to go somewhere, to show him something. Rin would have loved to, but it was too dark.

"Haru I can't. It'll be dawn soon. I need to get home."

Haru slumped down into the water, dark eyes narrowed up at Rin, the rest of his face submerged.

"Don't look at me like that!" Rin whined, dropping his head back to rest on the soggy pillar. "You know that's not fair!" Yet something in him bubbled pleasantly at the playful aura falling over them. Despite Haru not being able to speak, Rin felt wave after wave of affection, playfulness and security run through him whenever the creature touched him.

It was like the happiness flowed directly into his bloodstream through touch alone.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, just -if I tap you twice, that means I need to stop for air, okay?"

Haru sighed but let out a small trill regardless.

 

 

Rin nearly went under the black water again as Haru drew him against his chest. His skin was cool, peppered with hard, glossy scales and his arms flared their long, filmy gills. Rin tried to fight the heat in his cheeks as Haru's long white fingers adjusted his position so that he was riding low on his hipbones with his legs wrapped around behind the tail. It was weird, having the gills waving gently against his shins. Haru's left hand wrapped around Rin's thigh, squeezing, his fingers inching a little too far against his buttocks.

He leaned his forehead against Haru's shoulder.

The pearly light of dawn touched the sky, turning the gentle waves from black to a dark, iron grey.

Haru's free hand, wrapped around the back of Rin's chest, holding him tighter. Leaning up to whisper into the creature's oddly shaped ear, Rin whispered, "Okay, let's go."

The water rushed around and through him as they sank below the surface, into the dark blue ocean. It was still cool but for the first time all night it seemed to refresh Rin. He didn't feel the weight of the world and all its worried crowding inside his head. It felt as though his mind was floating, releasing from that anxiety and pressure to be perfect.

Haru watched him, like a submerged statue. Rin wasn't sure how the merman looked in that moment, he just new that he felt  _something_ ; a connection that ran through them and flowed into the water. He didn't know what to name it, or even if it needed a name. It felt secure and the weightlessness of that thought was humbling.

Haru's tail started to direct them through the water, a strong, firm muscle working between Rin's legs as they swam down and outward.

The pressure started to hurt after a while. Rin would have guessed they'd been swimming for at least an hour in total, with frequent stops for Rin to catch his breath. They hadn't travelled as far as Haru had hoped, at least that was the impression Rin was getting. On the last time they surfaced for Rin to splutter for air he choked out a rough, "I'm sorry! I'm better than most at holding my breath but -but -" he trailed off, leaning his forehead against Haru's sharp collarbone.

Haru's gills flared around his neck, as though he were thinking.

Then he pointed to his mouth.

Rin frowned, "I don't -what're you trying to say?"

Again, the creature pointed to its mouth.

Rin shrugged helplessly. "Show me what you mean. I don't know!"

Haru growled low in his throat before grabbing Rin's face, fingernails almost piercing the skin, and pressed their mouths together. Before his gills could even glare, Rin shoved against his chest. Damnit! The stupid thing was panicking! Haru grabbed both of Rin's flailing arms as he tried to garble some form of admonishment at him, but Haru had neither the time nor the patience. He grabbed the human's face and pressed their mouths together, wrapping his arms around Rin like a vice so that his struggling didn't dislodge their mouths.

Rin whimpered against him.

Haru put all his weight into his tail and together, they sank beneath the surface. Bubbles erupted at the back of his throat as Rin continued to scream out under the water, clearly panicking. Haru closed his eyes and focused on keeping their mouths locked before flaring his gills wide open. It took Rin a moment to realise that fresh oxygen was swarming down his throat and into his lungs.

It calmed him.

His panicked grip on Haru relaxed enough to not be painful.

The ocean around them stretched far, wide and deep, extending into the deepest black-blue all around them. Above was the only direction the water was a brighter, beautiful blue. That was where Rin belonged, really, he knew that. Yet the brightness and people above had done nothing but cause him pain. Whilst Haru had terrified him more than once, and almost drowned him in their playing -one time it had been too close and Rin almost blacked out underwater -but he had always come back and had always been kind. At least, that's how Rin saw things now.

As he stroked the scales lining down the creature's spine, more calm rushed into Rin's lungs as easily as the oxygen he now breathed  _through Haru_.

He didn't even care that they were swimming away from the light and steadily down at a decline. Soon no sunlight would reach the murky depths where the creature was taking him, and a little voice at the back of Rin's mind was screaming at him to let go, kick as fast as he could to the surface. To return to the people he loved and who loved him. To continue on with his life and grow old with someone he would find and love beyond all else.

Somewhere he knew that, and it niggled at him. Yet whenever a thought like that arose, another wave of calm rinsed it away.

Regardless of how the darkness blurred Haru's visage into the true form Rin had first witnessed upon encountering the creature, and how everything was now completely black and even how the oxygen he hungrily drank from Haru's mouth seemed to make him light-headed and see little stars -Rin knew Haru wouldn't do anything bad to him.

He  _trusted_  the merman.

They'd come up for air soon.

 

 

 

 

~0~

 

 

 

 

Russell glanced down again at the badly folded pile of clothes on the pier.

The policemen were taking photographs as though it were a crime-scene. He supposed in a way it was. Lori was gasping and choking on sobs as her tears soaked Winnie's fur. They'd gotten up at the usual time only to find a text on each of their phone's from Rin. Lori had instantly panicked and raced into his room, while Russel stared down at his phone before following after her.

Rin's bed had been empty.

He hadn't taken anything with him.

Winnie had been asleep on the bed, whimpering lightly, not knowing what had gone wrong but knowing that something  _was_  wrong. They'd called the police immediately. They said they couldn't file a missing persons report until they'd been missing for at least twenty-four hours. So Russell said he was going to take matters into his own hands. They went to all the usual spots they could think of, including the school and the cafe Rin worked at.

He hadn't been there.

Eventually, Lori had gotten directions to the secluded beach from Gemma. She'd gotten her number the second time they'd met just in case Rin failed to show-up for work or there was an issue. Gemma had been asleep but was immediately alert as soon as she was told that Rin was missing. She said that even she'd gotten a text from him, identical to theirs. She'd ridden on her bike and met them at the top of the cliff, before guiding them down to the beach.

She'd taken them to the cave.

They'd found Rin's messenger back trapped down in a corner of the rockpool. Gemma had slipped in and fished it out. Lori had started to tremble and cry, fearing the worst, until Russell explained that was the bag Rin had lost months ago. It was a small relief.

They hadn't even been bothering to check the pier, it was only when they started back up the cliff that Gemma had turned and spotted some bright spots of colour and ran down the path to check it out. Russell and Lori had trailed after her, both worn out by the early hour and the steep inclines they'd had to walk.

"RUSSELL! LORI!" Gemma had screamed at them to come over.

Now, forty minutes later the three of them were watching, as though through glass, as Rin's belongings were photographed as 'evidence'. He'd left everything. He must have only been wearing his boxers when he'd jumped in, if that's what he'd even done. However, the policeman claimed there was no proof to suggest he hadn't.

That had made Lori hysterical.

Russell needed to take her out of earshot and calm her down. He left her sitting on a rocky ledge, hunched over in her jacket with Winnie held tightly in her lap. Gemma went over so that she could comfort her, tear tracks staining her own cheeks. Russell had stayed behind to get as much information out of the officers present, as possible. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could tell him except that they were going to open a missing persons file, put an appeal on the news and had already sent orders out for the air-rescue team to scan the surrounding ten miles of sea and beaches.

It was of no comfort to him.

He watched, as though disconnected from his body, as they packed Rin's items into plastic bags, scribbled notes on them and then took them away.

The officer calmly explained that they would do everything they could and would could them if they had any news on Rin's whereabouts. Russell had nodded mutely, unable to take his eyes off the sea that stretched out before him, mocking him. A tremor ran down his spine. Had he done this? Was this ...  _his_  fault? Had he pushed Rin to his ultimate breaking point and caused him to ... to ...

He couldn't even finished the thought in his head, let alone say it out loud.

The guilt sat hard and heavy in his chest.

'What have I done?' the thought echoed in his head. 'Am I that bad a dad that I drove Rin to go and k -no! He isn't! There was still a chance. They would find him! They had to find him!'

"Please God ..." he breathed out, his eyes misting over as he raised them up to the blue sky; a blue sky so fresh and beautiful it had always reminded Russell of happy days and good memories. Until now. "Please God let them find him."

The sea gave no response. It merely waved and drifted and softly crashed against the pier, frothing a little over the planks on the spot where Rin's belongings had been just moments ago.

"Oh Rin ..." Russell choked, a tear hovering on his lashes. A sob lodged in his throat as he sank down onto his knees, his face in his hands. "Please, come back. Forgive me, son ..." he pleaded, "Forgive me ..."

 

 

 

 

~0~

 

 

 

The search went on for two weeks with no results.

 

Eventually the case petered out despite Lori and Russell continuing to push for results, and even rented out boats to search the local seas themselves.

 

Gemma did all she could to no avail. Eventually, she quit her job and moved away.

 

On the 5th of July, Rin's case was declared a 'cold case'.

 

Four years later, he was declared legally dead by Australian Law.

 

What actually happened to him, remains unknown.

 

 

 

~0~

 

**THE END**

 

~0~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh I cannot believe it's done! I know it was only a simple story with a simple -if dark -premise but I needed to write it and I'm thrilled that I got the idea out and shared it with you!
> 
> Thank you to everyone for your lovely reviews and support! <3
> 
> Please follow me to keep up to date with future FREE! fics.


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